Indices in Ivory: Inspiring Affective Piety with a Walrus Ivory Christ

Mia Hafer

doi:10.33009/fsu_athanor130243

Abstract

The Crucified Christ (Figure 1), now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, captures both Christ’s serene acceptance of death and the graphic reality of mortality in a way rarely seen in medieval ivory carvings. Crafted by a Parisian artisan working in either England or Cologne around 1300, the seven-inch-tall statue now stands devoid of its arms and the small crucifix to which it was originally attached.1 Christ is depicted with his head falling slightly forward, the smooth S-curve of his body emphasizing his youthful form and artfully crossed legs. Scant remains of gold leaf on Christ’s hair and beard encircle the figure’s face in a heavenly light, emphasizing Christ’s calm dignity which was maintained even in death. Remnants of red paint accentuate Christ’s side wound and trail downward, mimicking the appearance of a trickle of dried blood. What makes this piece notable, however, is not the style in which it was carved, but the medium itself—walrus ivory. I argue that the material of the Crucified Christ, as manipulated by the sculptor, lends itself to affective contemplation, shaping the viewer’s devotional experience. By examining how sight, light, touch, and theology shaped a viewer’s perception of the work, I demonstrate how such pieces served to close the gap between the absent divine and the affective devotee.

Highlights

MIA HAFER ◊ Indices in Ivory: Inspiring Affective Piety with a Walrus Ivory Christ SONIA DIXON ◊ Reexamining Syncretism in Late Antique Iconography of a Vault Mosaic ANGELICA VERDUCI ◊ Sight, Sound, and Silence at the Oratorio of San Bernardino in Clusone HOYON MEPHOKEE ◊ At the Center of the Globe: Empiricism and Empire in Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s Fontaine des Quatres-Parties-du-monde JORDAN HILLMAN ◊ Embodying Violence, Manipulating Space: The Irony of Valloton’s Police States
The Crucified Christ (Figure 1), at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, captures both Christ’s serene acceptance of death and the graphic reality of mortality in a way rarely seen in medieval ivory carvings
I argue that the material of the Crucified Christ, as manipulated by the sculptor, lends itself to affective contemplation, shaping the viewer’s devotional experience

Summary

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF ART HISTORY

Cosmic over or Athanor from Annibal Barlet, Le Vray Cours de Physique, Paris, 1653. Cover: Crucified Christ, ca. 1300, walrus ivory with traces of paint and gilding, 7 9/16 x 2 1/16 x 1 3/8 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA. 1300, walrus ivory with traces of paint and gilding, 7 9/16 x 2 1/16 x 1 3/8 in., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, USA. Photo Credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art. MIA HAFER ◊ Indices in Ivory: Inspiring Affective Piety with a Walrus Ivory Christ SONIA DIXON ◊ Reexamining Syncretism in Late Antique Iconography of a Vault Mosaic ANGELICA VERDUCI ◊ Sight, Sound, and Silence at the Oratorio of San Bernardino in Clusone HOYON MEPHOKEE ◊ At the Center of the Globe: Empiricism and Empire in Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s Fontaine des Quatres-Parties-du-monde JORDAN HILLMAN ◊ Embodying Violence, Manipulating Space: The Irony of Valloton’s Police States. Günther Stamm Prize for Excellence Mia Hafer was awarded the Günther Stamm Prize for Excellence for “Indices in Ivory: Aspiring Affective. Piety with a Walrus Ivory Christ” presented at the 2021 Art History Graduate Student Symposium

Mia Hafer

ATHANOR XVIII

The materials of such devotional objects often played a

Conclusion

University of Kansas