Artwork Page for Plaque: The Journey to Bethlehem

Details / Information for Plaque: The Journey to Bethlehem

Plaque: The Journey to Bethlehem

c. 1100–1120

South Italy, Amalfi, Romanesque period, 12th century

Medium
ivory
Measurements
Overall: 16.3 x 11 x 1 cm (6 7/16 x 4 5/16 x 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1978.40
Public Domain
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Location
106C Medieval Treasury
Print

Description

This ivory plaque depicts Mary, Joseph, and one of his sons from a previous wife on their way to Bethlehem. The scene is set within an architectural frame that combines Byzantine decorative elements (such as the acanthus leaf column capitals) with Islamic architectural motifs (most notably, the distinctively rounded arches). The blending of Byzantine, Islamic, and Western iconographic elements and decorative motifs is typical for the art produced in the city of Amalfi, a prosperous merchant town near Naples in South Italy.
A vertically oriented ivory plaque in high relief depicts figures with light skin tones traveling under three arches. At the center, Mary, a woman in a long draped cloak, sits atop a donkey traveling toward our right. To our left, a bearded man follows with a staff. On our right, a youth leads the donkey, carrying a flask on a pole. Patterned columns support arches containing carved flowers, with two holes at the top.

Plaque: The Journey to Bethlehem

c. 1100–1120

South Italy, Amalfi, Romanesque period, 12th century

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