French Gothic Ivories
Material Theologies and the Sculptor’s Craft

This beautifully illustrated monograph presents the first synthetic study of Gothic ivory sculpture in its historical, social, and artistic contexts.

Sarah M. Guérin (Author)

9781316511008, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 September 2022

334 pages
28.7 x 22.3 x 3 cm, 1.42 kg

'Guérin should be commended for her sensitivity to methods of making across such a large and far-flung corpus. She beautifully conveys how compositions emerge from carved tusks, a difficult conceptual task more often achieved in studies of wood and stone sculpture.… [the book's] evidence, methods, and prose inspire us to apply its lessons to underexplored scholarly territories. The future of ivory studies is bright indeed.' Nicole Pulichene, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies

This volume is the first to consider the golden century of Gothic ivory sculpture (1230-1330) in its material, theological, and artistic contexts. Providing a range of new sources and interpretations, Sarah Guérin charts the progressive development and deepening of material resonances expressed in these small-scale carvings. Guérin traces the journey of ivory tusks, from the intercontinental trade routes that delivered ivory tusks to northern Europe, to the workbenches of specialist artisans in medieval Paris, and, ultimately, the altars and private chapels in which these objects were venerated. She also studies the rich social lives and uses of a diverse range of art works fashioned from ivory, including standalone statuettes, diptychs, tabernacles, and altarpieces. Offering new insights into the resonances that ivory sculpture held for their makers and viewers, Guérin's study contributes to our understanding of the history of materials, craft, and later medieval devotional practices.

Introduction
1. Ivory in the Gothic Emporium
2. Thrones of Wisdom: The First Gothic Ivories
3. 'Fleshly tablets of the heart': The Passion in Ivory
4. Glorification of the Virgin: Ivory Palaces and the Assumption
5. Contemplation and Desire: Ivories for the Domestic Sphere
6. An Ivory Enterprise: The Yvoirier of the Saint-Sulpice Triptych, 1280–1310
Epilogue: Gothic Ivories as a Capetian Art.

Subject Areas: History of architecture [AMX], Architectural structure & design [AMC], Theory of architecture [AMA], The arts: general issues [AB]