Search results for
X
No results :(

Hints for your search:

Title

Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere

Generic classification
Ivory carving
Object
Plaque
Century
Late 11th c. / Early 12th c.
Cultural context / style
Medieval. Romanesque
Dimensions
10 5/8 x 5 1/4 x 3/4 in.
Material
Ivory
Technique
Carved
Iconography / Theme
Camino a Emaús, Noli me tangere
Provenance
Province of León (León, Spain)
Current location
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States)
Inventory Number in Current Collection
17.190.47
Inscriptions / Marks

D N S  LOQVITVR MARIAE

Object history

There are stylistic details in this plaque that relate it to other works produced in León, a fundamental centre on the pilgrimage to Santiago, and the site of one of the main ivory production workshops in the 11th century, as shown in the rich repertoire of San Isidoro de León (Franco Mata, 2006, Álvarez da Silva, 2016). This exquisite ivory carving would have formed part of a larger piece in which other scenes relating to the life of Christ would appear. Álvarez Silva studies this plaque together with two others in the Massaveu Collection in Oviedo, Descent from the Cross, and in the Hermitage in St. Persburg, Three Marys before the Tomb. From a stylistic point of view they could be dated to between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. According to the author, this work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art ‘is large: 27 cm high x 13.2 cm wide and, very strikingly, it is almost two centimetres thick. The fragment in the Russian institution is 13.5 cm high x 13.2 cm wide and the one in the Asturian collection is square, measuring 13.2 x 13.2 cm; if the latter two were joined together they would have very similar proportions to its companion (26.7 x 13.2)’. (Álvarez Silva, 2014, p. 289-290).

Description

The scenes depicted are allusive to two appearances of Christ after his resurrection: on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, while two disciples lament the Crucifixion (upper register), and the apparition to Mary Magdalene; when she recognises him, Jesus tells her not to touch him (noli me tangere) (lower register).

Both the delicacy of the carving and the elongated arrangement of the bodies, as well as the gestures of the figures, allow us to relate this work to others produced in León at the same time.

* The relative location of dealers, antique shops, art galleries, and collectors leads us to the places where they were based or had one of their main headquarters. However, this does not always indicate that every artwork that passed through their hands was physically located there. In the case of antique dealers and art merchants, their business often extended across multiple territories; sometimes they would purchase items at their origin and send them directly to clients. Similarly, some collectors owned multiple residences, sometimes in different countries, where they housed their collections. It is often difficult to determine exactly where a specific piece was kept during its time in their possession. Consequently, the main location of the dealer or collector is indicated. These factors should be considered when interpreting the map. Refer to the object's history in each case.
Bibliography
  • ÁLVAREZ DA SILVA, Noemí (2016): La talla del marfil en la España del siglo XI, Universidad de León, León.
  • ÁLVAREZ DA SILVA, Noemí (2014): El trabajo del marfil en la España del siglo XI. (Tesis Doctoral), Universidad de León, León, pp. 289-290.
  • BRECK, Joseph (1920): "The Spanish ivories of the XI and XII centuries in the Pierpont Morgan Collection", vol. XIV, nº 11, American Journal of Archaeology, Boston.
  • BRECK, Joseph y ROGERS, Meyric (1925): Handbook of the Pierpont Morgan Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nueva York.
  • ESTELLA MARCOS, Margarita-Mercedes (1984): "La escultura de marfil en España: Románica y Gótica", Editora Nacional, Madrid, pp. 61-62, il. 12.
  • FERRANDIS TORRES, José (1928): Marfiles y azabaches españoles, Labor, Barcelona, pp. 134, 189-190., il. LXV, fig. 1.
  • FRANCO MATA, Ángela (2001): "Las ilustraciones del Beato de San Pedro de Cardeña/The Illustrations in the San Pedro de Cardeña Beatus", en Beato de Liébana. Códice de San Pedro de Cardeña: Commentary, M. Moleiro, Barcelona.
  • FRANCO MATA, Ángela (2010): "Arte medieval leonés fuera de España", nº 3, e-art documents.
  • PÉRATÉ, André (1911): Collections Georges Hoentschel: Ivories, orfèvrerie religieuse, pierres, vol. 2, Librairie Centrale des Beaux-Arts, París, il. fig. XI.
  • PORTER, Arthur Kingsley (1923): Romanesque Sculpture of the Pilgrimage Roads. I, vol. 1, Marshall Jones Company, Boston, pp. 41-43, 49.
  • PORTER, Arthur Kingsley (1923): Romanesque Sculpture of the Pilgrimage Roads. VI, vol. 6, Marshall Jones Company, Boston, p. 8, il. 709.
Citation:

María José Martínez Ruiz, "Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/65

Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain

Share this work:
Facebook
Twitter

Works related to Plaque with the Journey to Emmaus and Noli Me Tangere by Anónimo leonés

Peace and Mercy Win the Promise of Redemption for Man. Story of the Redemption of Man. Tapestry from Burgos Cathedral

Peace and Mercy Win the Promise of Redemption for Man. Story of the Redemption of Man. Tapestry from Burgos Cathedral

1500-1520 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
Currently sharing location
Matching keywords in the title (1)
Adoration of the Magi from the Convent of Santa Clara, Medina de Pomar (Burgos)

Adoration of the Magi from the Convent of Santa Clara, Medina de Pomar (Burgos)

Justus of Ghent
ca. 1475 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
Currently sharing location
Matching keywords in the title (1)
Apostle Saint James

Apostle Saint James

Siloé, Gil de [workshop of]
ca. 1500 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
Currently sharing location
Shared location in the past
Matching keywords in the title (1)
Textile Fragment from the Tomb of Don Felipe. Villalcázar de Sirga (Palencia)

Textile Fragment from the Tomb of Don Felipe. Villalcázar de Sirga (Palencia)

Second half of the 13th c. | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
Currently sharing location
Matching keywords in the title (1)
Plaque depicting the Holy Women

Plaque depicting the Holy Women

Anónimo leonés
11th c. | The Stage Hermitage (San Petesburgo)
Work by the same author
Shared location in the past
Matching keywords in the title (2)
Same object (plaque)
Close date