Title

The Adoration of the Magi

Anonimous

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

An old publication from 1868 reports that this piece was already mentioned in an Inventory as a work acquired for the Victoria and Albert in London in 1866. It was identified as a plate with high relief images of the Adoration of the Magi, with hunting scenes and wild beasts in its lower part. It is very interesting that it is specified in that 19th century text that the provenance of the pendant was Germany, dating it at that time to the 11th century. Very specific details are given, such as that it was purchased at that time for 218 pounds (Art Inventory: 17).

However, some time later, Adolph Goldschmidt's classic work on medieval ivories indicated that the plate would have been carved in the year 1100, locating its production in Northern France or Belgium, but using only stylistic arguments or comparisons with miniated codices from those areas, not through documentary support or more certain news.

In the cataloging published by Goldschmidt it was indicated that this sculpture of the Epiphany had belonged to the Soltykoff collection (catalog 1861, number 17) and that later it had passed to the Webb collection. Certainly the data are reliable and certain.

As María López-Monís (2018) indicates in the most complete and extensive work dedicated to date to this piece, the carving was purchased by the South Kensington Museum (later Victoria & Albert Museum), in 1866, for 218 pounds, from John Webb (1799-1880) who, in turn, had acquired it from Prince Soltykoff (1806-1859) -actually named Aleksei Dmitrievich Saltykov-, a collector active between the years 1840 and 1861, going out to auction in Paris that year. We have not found any information about where the piece came from before.

For his part, John Webb was an important art dealer, restorer and craftsman, who developed part of his career invoicing furniture and was also a key agent for some important museums, such as the British Museum. His tastes and preferences led him to trade in medieval objects, armor and furniture (Lindfield, 2022). Webb was linked to other collectors of medieval art and collaborated by lending his treasures to various exhibitions, such as Ancient and Medieval Art, held in 1850, or the Specials Loans Exhibition of 1862. The catalog of the latter indicated that 132 ivory carvings from before the 13th century were on display in section 2, and of these, 155 had been loaned by Webb (Smith, 2015: 71). Among them, it seems, was our carving with the scene of the Adoration of the Magi.

It is important that the work had first been in Paris, in the hands of the aforementioned Prince, a passionate lover of the Middle Ages, and from whose hands came great works of the sumptuary arts of the Romanesque, such as the so-called Gloucester Candelabrum, now also in the Victoria & Albert.

These and many other treasures were kept in his collection, particularly in two hotels that he ordered to be built for that purpose, and there they kept ivories, manuscripts, enamels and medieval glass.

It was in that year 1861 when no less than 1109 lots were auctioned for four weeks at the well-known Hotel Drouot, the famous antiques auction house at 9 Rue Drouot, 75009. Of those lots 26 were purchased by Webb and donated to South Kensington, with pieces such as the Eltenberg reliquary and the aforementioned candelabrum (voice "Prince", undated).

In conclusion: despite the documented presence of whalebone in Paris, at least in the 19th century, we have not been able to obtain more information about its earlier history. It is significant, however, that in the inventory of the V&A it is listed as being of German origin.

Less known but very interesting is, for example, the mention of this award in a manuscript volume preserved in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, where José Puiggarí (1821-1903) drew some of the details of the work, in a context of attention to the costumes and clothing. Thus, he focused on the figures of the three Magi and the Virgin's headdress and next to the drawing he wrote "German sculpture, early 11th century, walrus ivory"(RABASF, fol. 53).

We do not know at what exact moment the Catalan art historian and artist saw the piece, when he drew it or if he analyzed it by holding it in his hands, in the museum itself or, more possibly, through a photograph. The printed publication of Puiggarí's work was made in 1889, in Barcelona, sponsored by the Archaeological Artistic Association, so by then the award was already known. It seems to us very interesting that the whale bone appears next to other Hispanic ivories of the Leonese context, as in the case of the cross of Fernando I and Sancha (National Archaeological Museum of Madrid), for example.

In the absence of concrete data on the origin of the London carving, the earliest historiography considered several possibilities about its provenance, linking it to the English context, although other early scholars also saw in its forms characteristics of northern France or the medieval art of Belgium.

It was art historians, always based on the iconography and style of the work, who began, between the third and fifth decade of the twentieth century, to relate the whalebone to Spain.

Meyer Schapiro already linked the scene of the Magi with the Romanesque tympanum of the Adoration of Uncastillo (Zaragoza), emphasizing and establishing comparisons between elements such as the microarchitectures or the draperies. The presence of the horn sounder was also cited, which was related to the image of one of the cloister cloisters of the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos (Burgos), but this author also saw analogies with the Bible of San Benigno de Dijon, dating the piece we study here in the eleventh century (Schapiro, 1939: 342).

Also John Hunt, in an article published in 1954, reiterated its Hispanic origins, and highlighted the stylistic relationships of the V&A plate with another Hispanic piece with which it has many points in common: the bone tablet with the Virgin and Child from the Louvre Museum. Carmen Bernis (1960) also defended its Spanish origin, while John Beckwith (1966) believed that this whale bone had been carved by an artist familiar with Canal art and "who had traveled to Spain, perhaps as a pilgrim". In Peter Lasko's important book (1972) devoted to the sumptuary arts, he denied its Spanish origin and preferred to link it to the artistic circle of Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais), comparing it also to the Bury Bible, miniature in Bury Saint-Edmunds in Suffolk, England, between 1121 and 1148, for example.

Despite all these back-and-forth about its origin, today there is a certain unanimity among scholars in relating this jewel to Spain, as defended by Paul Williamson (2010, 358), Daniel Gaborit-Chopin (1978, 119) and María López-Monís (2018: 7). In fact, in the large volume dedicated to Spanish medieval art at the Metropolitan Museum of New York, in the file signed by Charles T. Little, defended its carving in northern Spain, dating it to the first half of the twelfth century and appealing to its formal relations with the Virgin of the Louvre, resuming the links with Uncastillo for the scenography with drapery, the presence of the kings with staffs, in the manner of travelers or pilgrims or the complex and peculiar headdress of the queen, which the author links with the sarcophagus of Doña Sancha of the Benedictines of Jaca, in addition to the horn sounder that connects with Silos (Little, 1993: 287). Undoubtedly the original headdress of the Virgin has been an important argument since ancient times as some scholars indicated that it follows Byzantine patterns, especially in terms of the coif and dress, and Saxon patterns for the architectures (Cust 1906: 102).

Although this section should focus on the history of the object, the absence of documentary, epigraphic and written sources that allow us to reconstruct its journey from the Iberian Peninsula to Paris makes the analysis of the historiography key to be able to ascribe the object to Spain.

In addition to the arguments put forward, it is not irrelevant that the plate of the Virgin and Child, in whale bone, shares many similarities with this one from London, since both were carved in this material, frequently found on the coasts of the northern peninsular, especially in Galicia, Asturias and the Basque Country, where whaling was a key activity.

Finally, we believe that this carving should be placed in the central years of the twelfth century, in a context of expansion of the kingdom of Aragon and the recovery, in 1118, of Zaragoza at the hands of Alfonso I the Battler. Although the hypotheses of other scholars who linked the work to the context of the reign of Ramiro II the Monk (1134 and 1137) are not ruled out either, explaining by his family ties the relationships with the arts of northern Europe, by his religious ties with the south and the relationship with the monastery of Sahagún, since it has been said that "it had one of the most important ivory workshops in Castile" (López-Monís 2018: 36).

We do not know, for the moment, any document that reports how, when and in whose hands the presea left Spain for Paris.

Description

This work was carved on the jaw bone of a sperm whale, representing in the main scene the Adoration of the Magi to the Child. The center of the composition is occupied by the image of the Virgin Mary holding the child on her lap. The piece stands out for its very high technical level and quality of workmanship, the result of an experienced master who was fully aware of the previous artistic experiences of the Leonese ivory workshop, as well as the innovations of the plastic art of the reign of Urraca I, with pieces datable to the first two decades of the 12th century, such as the one preserved in the Hermitage of St. Petersburg or the Pilgrims of Emmaus and the scene of No li me tangere of the Metropolitan Museum of New York.

The Virgin's nimbus is decorated with a zigzag, an element present in other Leonese ebony productions, and the headdress, like a skullcap, that the female effigy wears, with small ovals that run around the perimeter of the crown, is especially noteworthy. From it falls an elegant textile that goes to the shoulders and goes under the chin, almost like a chinstrap, although less tight. Her eyes show features typical of the Hispanic ivory carving of the time: small pupils, flattened nose, rictus of the mouth in the form of an inverted U. We cannot be sure that the carving was painted, nor that gold leaf or inlays were applied.

The scenographic framing, very theatrical, where the scene is presented, is of great technical level: a great semicircular arch -ornamented in the intrados with a kind of pearl or border of simple and smooth leaves-, houses a pergola or bar from which hangs, by means of 5 washers, a great curtain, whose refined and ample ruffling opens theatrically to leave the main scene visible. The large vellum is knotted behind the microarchitecture, particularly on the two slender shafts that support the vegetal capitals that support this architectural frame.

This solution, that of the canvases placed as frames and hanging from the arches, is present in the Romanesque art of the first two decades of the 12th century, especially visible, for example, in the Nativity scene of the paintings of the Royal Pantheon of San Isidoro de León, although it has also been linked to the tympanum of the church of Uncastillo. All in all, it seems that its debts with respect to the illustration of the book are clear.

Above the great arch sits a monumental microarchitecture, formed, at the ends, by two towers, two stories high. The windows of the lower level are double-hung, semicircular, and the meticulous craftsman carved even the small vegetal capitals and the pearlwork of the arches' threads. With great detail he sculpted the stone facings, simulating ashlars, decorated with decreasing lines that end up giving the idea of a kind of cushioning. Two windows with semicircular biforse arches lead to the central body of the building, with another small window in the center. On this wall he deployed very diverse motifs, present in Leonese ebony pieces: the zigzag, the pearl, the reticulation, the diamond head and he finished the building with a roof where he detailed the tiles, designed to the point that they resemble leaves or feathers (a motif also present in the ivory of the apostle of the Glencairn that comes from Leon).

Three iconographic elements are visible on the roof of the building: on the right, a man dressed in a tunic finished with a T at the neck -a solution that recalls textile models present on the Leonese plaque in the Metropolitan Museum of New York-. It is precisely the headdresses of the pilgrims of Emmaus from the east ivory and those present on the whalebone that served as an argument to speak of relationships between the works (Estella 1984 and Álvarez, 2014: 293).

The figure of the man on the cover seemed to hold an object in his right hand, now lost, but which was possibly a horn that he would blow, following an iconographic model visible in the machón of the doubt of Santo Tomás in the cloister of Santo Domingo de Silos, where two bearded men blow an oliphant, accompanied by two figures playing tambourines. The proximity to the Silos relief is also visible in the architectural frames that both productions share.

The second key iconographic element, on the left, is a bird. Its plumage, legs, beak and eyes are depicted in detail, reminiscent of an owl or an owl. A third element crowns the building: a Greek cross, with a central knot, reminiscent of the models carved in the ivory of the aforementioned plaque from the MET and the cross carried by the angel in the ivory of the Visitatio Sepulchri from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

The two towers end in lanterns, like centralized temples, articulated in their walls or drums by vertical bands and a cupola that recalls gallonado models with a button at the top (profiles of cimborrios typical of the Romanesque of the Douro, for example, although stereotyped and present in other microarchitectures of all European medieval art).

The gaze of the Virgin, in the most central plane of the composition, is directed to a blank space, far from the horror vacui of the whole composition. There the sculptor placed the image of the star, in the form of a flower with 8 petals.

In an elegant way, with her stylized fingers, the Virgin holds the Child, richly dressed, with wide fabrics that end in pearls and she ties her tunic with a big knot over her right shoulder, carrying a book and with the other hand blessing. The kinky hair is sculpted in great detail and the large almond-shaped eyes are striking.

The Virgin holds with her other hand a vegetal element, supporting it by the central stem and from which 7 tendrils sprout, a more fleshy and reduced model than the vegetal element of the same shape and with the same number of leaves shown on the plaque of the Traditio Legis of the Louvre, in the lower part, flanked by the signs of the Lion and the Bull.

The rich nimbus of the Child God, pearled and with the cross, follows the same model that shows the figure of Christ in ivory with Mary Magdalene from the MET.

The Three Wise Men wear sumptuous regalia, all of which are differently adorned, with pearls, with spherical finials, ornamented with borders and jewels, holding high scepters or staffs in their hands. Two kings have long hair and beards, and the one in the center, who looks younger, is shaved and has short hair. The first carries in his hand a closed ciborium, with a cover that recalls the models of goldsmiths to keep incense. The figure located between the other two Magi reveals another of these cups, without a lid, which makes visible the small grains, perhaps alluding to myrrh, hence he can be identified, with doubts, as Balthasar. The draperies that show the clothes of all the figures are of an extraordinary quality, finishing off in all kinds of orophreses: sogueado, imitating jewels, pearls, precious stones, reticulated, even in the footwear.

The lower part of the piece is equally rich. Mary's feet rest on a footstool decorated with fabrics and the richness of the piece of furniture stands out, the wooden throne, simulating marquetry and cabinet work and where the large cushion with reticulated decoration is visible. On the right side of the Virgin's feet there are fleshy plants, like scrolls, tendrils of double leaves that twist on themselves, and also, there is another plant in the form of a small tree where fruits hang, they could look like grapes, but they really resemble the dates of a palm tree.

The lower part is separated from the main scene by a small horizontal strip, which gives way to a frieze inhabited by various characters. On the left side, a centaur holds a bow in his right hand and arrows in his left. It is interesting that the sculptor has represented the hair in the form of curled braids. The inclusion of the hybrid beast next to certain sacred images should not be surprising, as it appears, for example, in the centaur among plants on the reverse of the ebullient cross of Ferdinand I of the National Archaeological Museum, next to the singo of the evangelist St. Luke.

From there, forming two groups, two pairs of fighting animals are distributed. The first, close to the centaur, looks like a lion, because of its mane on its head and back, as well as its tail. This one bites the neck of another quadruped, with great fur all over the body and clawed paws, perhaps it could represent a bear. The sculptor is very detailed and uses the awl to mark the pupils, the profiles of the snout and the sharp teeth. The other group of fighting animals can be identified, the first one, with a wild boar -because of its big horns and bristly fur on the back- attacked by a feline.

Locations

• Unknown date

  region

  Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Castilla y León (Spain)

• Mid XIX^th c. - ca. 1861

  private collection

  Aleksei Dmitrievich Saltykov, Paris (France) *

• ca. 1861

  auction house

  Hotel Drouot, Paris (France)

• ca. 1861 - ca. 1866

  dealer/antiquarian

  John Webb, London (United Kingdom) *

• ca. 1866 - present

  museum

  Victoria & Albert Museum, London (United Kingdom)