Diptych with Scenes from the Life of Christ

3rd quarter of 14th century

The arrival of African ivory on a massive scale in Europe between 1250 and 1400 made Paris the capital of Gothic ivory work. Artists and craftsmen there produced small devotional objects, especially diptychs with scenes from the life of Christ or the Virgin in horizontal bands. At a time when religious practice was being individualised, a wealthy aristocratic and upper-middle-class clientele, eager to display their riches and piety, commissioned these portable works above all to accompany them in their travels, on pilgrimages and even to war.

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