A Fine South German Baroque Ivory of the Virgin

Provenance

cf An ivory of Christ on the cross with the Virgin and St John attributed to Schenck in the National Museum, Munich
See: Finch and Co catalogue no. 3, item no. 80, for an ivory of the crucified Christ attributed to Schenck

Literature

By the mid 15th century the Virgin’s lament over the dead Christ had become an established subject for artists, and over the next two centuries she became the ideal model of compassion for the western church. The depiction of her mourning gave the Virgin greater prominence in the Passion story. She became the ‘Addolorata’, the epitome of every grieving mother. She felt the pain of Christ’s passion more deeply than anyone else like a ‘sword piercing her soul’ (Luke 2:35).
Schenck has pointedly articulated her anguish in this remarkable Baroque ivory.

Description / Expertise

A Fine South German Baroque Ivory of the Virgin mourning at the foot of the cross
Attributed to Christoph Daniel Schenck (d. 1691)
Late 17th Century

Size: 26cm high, 9cm wide, 4.5cm deep – 10¼ ins high, 3½ ins wide, 1¾ ins deep