File:The ivory workers of the middle ages (1906) (14779672742).jpg

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Identifier: ivoryworkersmidage00cust (find matches)
Title: The ivory workers of the middle ages
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Cust, Anna Maria Elizabeth
Subjects: Ivories
Publisher: London, G. Bell and sons
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Getty Research Institute

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then ruling in the name ofher young son Athalric, and who carried on thatshort renaissance of the Arts, so artificially intro-duced from Constantinople by her father. Thebusts cannot represent the reigning Emperor Jus-tinian and his wife Theodora, because at that timehe was forty-eight years of age, and they neverhad a son. Before passing to the real consular diptychs, itis impossible to leave unmentioned the splendidtablets of Probianus at Berlin (Fig. 2), No. 50. We know no more than what the well-cutinscription tells us, that he was vicarius urbisROM.E, or \ice-Prefect of the city of Rome.But, judging from the style, the good propor-tions (admitting the convention which made theperson of highest rank the largest), the digni-fied faces, and the natural arrangement of thedrapery, it must be of early date, probably to-wards the end of the fourth century, about the ^ The numbers to the diptychs, in all cases, refer to thosein the list of diptychs at the end of the book. 7 IVORY WORKERS
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(BERLIN MUSEUM SECOND LEAF OF THE DIPTYCHOF PROBIANUSEnd of fourth century time of the beauti-ful tablets of theNicomachi and thewSymmachi (No.58), to which it isclosely allied by thewell-hung draperyand the surround-ing border of deli-cately cut honey-suckle pattern. The top has aslight gable, as inthe early diptychof Probus (Fig. 3),No. 2. Probianusis depicted in theTribunal, sit-ting on his high-backed throne, sur-rounded by hisclerks, who bearpiles of writingtablets, and below,probably outsidethe cancelli or bar-rier, which is tobe found in allRoman basilicas,stand the litigants,who appear to be CONSULAR DIPTVCHS congratulatinghim. O u t-stretched fin-gers, in earlyart, meant theact of speech,and then, asnow, congratu-latory addresseswere inscribedand presented.On the secondleaf we see theaddress on hisknee, and by acurious conven-tion he is writ-ing with his ownhand the wordstheyacclaimhim with, PROBIAXEFLOREAS. In the firstleaf he is de-livering judg-ment, and thetwo lower fig-u

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Note, also, that this diptych is identified under the name "diptych of Probianus", with its counterpart on the right. Essen-Werden, treasure of the abbey church. Ivory. H. 32 cm.. Around 400 CE. Berlin Staatsbibliotheck. Ms. theol. lat. fol. 323 Kasten: with a long commentary in François Baratte. "Histoire de l'art antique : l'art romain", Manuels de l'École du Louvre. First edition 1996, pages 252 and 253.