Cleveland Museum of Art

Ivory Plaque with Enthroned Mother of God ("The Stroganoff Ivory")

Date

950–1025

Medium

ivory

Culture

Byzantium, Constantinople, Byzantine period

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Mother of God is seated on a lavishly carved, high-backed throne. Two angels hover above, drawing attention to the Christ child poised in her lap. Representations of the enthroned Virgin and Child have a long tradition in Byzantine art, stretching back as far as the 6th century. With one hand raised in blessing, the other holding a scroll, Christ is portrayed here as an emotionless and supernatural child, visualizing for the pious beholder the mystery of his incarnation. This ivory is also known as the Stroganoff Ivory because it was once in the collection of Sergei Grigoryevich Stroganoff, a Russian statesman and art historian.

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