German, Rhineland, or English, circa 1200 | Allemagne, Rhénanie, ou Angleterre, vers 1200

John Richard Ellwood;

Sotheby’s London 17 March 1961, lot 25;

John Hunt (1900-1975) and Gertrude Hunt (1903-1995), Dublin, Ireland;

thence by descent to the present owners

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Collection John Richard Ellwood ;

Vente Sotheby's, Londres, 17 mars 1961, lot 25 ;

Collection John Hunt (1900-1975) et Gertrude Hunt (1903-1995), Dublin, Irlande ;

Par descendance jusqu'aux propriétaires actuels.

This finely carved bone figure depicts the apostle Saint John the Evangelist, holding his emblematic book in his right arm. His drapery is arranged in looped folds and gathered below his right hand. His eyes are wide open with marked pupils and the well-defined features of his face and hair demonstrate skilled workmanship. The back shows a hollow channel, which is a natural feature of the bone material. There is also a circular hole which was presumably used to attach the figure.

His head is resting on his right hand which indicates that the figure originally stood to the right-hand side of a Crucifixion. The posture of Saint is paralleled in an Ottonian miniature ivory plaque of the Crucifixion in the Metropolitan Museum, New York (inv. no. 17.190.495a) (fig. 1). Several Crucifixion ivory plaques alike the one in the Metropolitan were affixed to a book cover or reliquary, which is a plausible original function of this bone carving. A second possibility is that the figure was affixed to a casket, alike the German ivory reliquary casket, circa 1150, in the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Tournai, where each apostle stands in its own niche. Stylistic comparison can be drawn to the apostles affixed to the casket, including their frontal pose, open eyes, large hands, and linear shape of the bare feet below the drapery.

The present miniature sculpture of Saint John is a rare testament of early medieval bone carvings and preserved in a beautiful state. The object has a jewel-like quality and is an extraordinary artwork in its own right.