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Recent studies are revealing new insight into a significant but lesser known piece of art in Britain.
A very valuable medieval sculpture made of ivory from England is at risk of being taken to the United States. London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is requesting £2 million from the public in order to prevent the 830-year-old work of art from leaving the country.
The museum has a belief that the Deposition of Christ (also known as Deposition from the Cross) was initially a component of a significantly larger ivory artwork. Thus, the museum is reaching out to the public not simply for financial support in preserving it within the UK, but also for leads on any other surviving pieces from the original invaluable masterpiece.
Crafted from ivory made from walrus tusks, the initial creation likely depicted seven events from the end of Christ’s earthly life. Among these would be the Last Supper, Judas’ betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane, the crucifixion, the removal of Christ’s body from the Cross (known as the deposition), the entombment, and the resurrection.
Some pieces may still exist, with their location unknown, in personal collections or small galleries in the UK or other countries. If the complete artwork with multiple scenes had been preserved, it would have been an unrivaled work of art – and it is believed to have a current value in the millions of pounds.
Currently, there are only two fragments that have been discovered, which could possibly make up approximately seven percent of the original multi-scene.
Recent inquiries are uncovering that the artistic piece that the V&A is striving to retain in the United Kingdom – a depiction of Christ being taken off the Cross – holds significance not only in the realm of art history, but also has ties to significant events in English history.
The statue made of ivory depicting the biblical scene of Joseph of Arimathea removing Jesus from the cross.
It is probable that the sculptor who created it was hired by an affluent and influential noble family, the de Warennes, who were descendants of a high-ranking ally of William the Conqueror during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The de Warennes possessed one of their primary fortresses within a short distance of Wakefield, and were the dominant landowners of the Wakefield Manor, which encompassed 150 square miles and was among the largest manors in England. Based on available evidence, it is likely that the sculpture (part of a magnificent series depicting scenes from Christ’s crucifixion prior to the Reformation) was originally kept in one of the chantry chapels or other locations within the parish church, which is now a cathedral, in Wakefield, Yorkshire. Alternatively, it may have been housed in one of Wakefield’s four independent chantry chapels (though only one remains).
Chantry chapels were used specifically to chant prayers for the dead (often for decades after they had died).
During the medieval era, Wakefield’s parish church, which was quite substantial in size, was often linked to the most significant religious institution favored by the English monarchy: the College and chapel of Saint Stephen within the royal Palace of Westminster (currently known as the Houses of Parliament). The College referred to itself as the primary chapel of the king.
Recent investigation of the ivory artwork indicates that it was likely kept in Wakefield, potentially in the local parish church, for several centuries until 1545 or 1547. During this time, the nationwide dissolution of chantries took place, prompting Catholics to safeguard fragments of the sculpture during the English Reformation. This was done to prevent the art from being confiscated or damaged by pro-Protestant authorities.
The complete ivory passion series may have been partially confiscated or destroyed, however, at least two important pieces (and possibly more) were saved and concealed in nearby Catholic homes.
This portion is from the same original 12th century ivory Passion cycle as the ‘Deposition’, which is likely where it came from. It depicts Judas at the Last Supper.
A portion of art portraying Jesus Christ offering a piece of bread to Judas Iscariot during the Last Supper was uncovered in 1769 within a concealed location inside a house near the church. The location, known as Northgate, is a street in Wakefield that still exists today and was possibly the residence of a priest from the church’s chantry chapel. It is possible that the scene of Judas’ betrayal was also hidden in a similar manner and was then rediscovered in the 18th or 19th century.
Research into the Catholic preservation of holy images in Wakefield has uncovered that numerous other religious sculptures from the medieval period (made from wood and alabaster rather than ivory, and unfortunately now gone) were also concealed on the same street where the ivory sculpture of Judas and the Last Supper of Christ (now displayed at the V&A) was found. In 1756, approximately 25 Catholic sculptures were discovered tucked above a fake ceiling in a house belonging to one of the church’s chantry chapel priests from the mid-16th century. Similarly, in the mid-19th century, two 5ft-tall stone statues of religious significance were found hidden inside a wall of another house near the church, likely placed there since the 16th century. Once again, the act of covertly hiding numerous Catholic items in defiance of the Reformation reflects the intense ideological conflict that marked the end of the medieval era and gave way to the formation of our modern society.
Wakefield has unearthed a higher number of concealed medieval Catholic artifacts compared to almost any other English town. These treasures, including ivory and other forms of art, were considered a vital part of the popular opposition to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. In 1536, the nearby small town of Pontefract served as the starting point for a well-known armed rebellion in support of Catholicism, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. This uprising likely received significant backing from citizens of Wakefield and possibly some of its clergy. And just five years later, in 1541, Wakefield played a central role in a major Catholic plot to overthrow Henry VIII and his Protestant regime.
During the Reformation, ivory sculptures were taken out of their religious residence in various parts of Europe. This picture depicts Protestants using ropes to disassemble a group of sculptures in a church in Antwerp during the 16th century. Similar instances may have occurred in England as well.
Furthermore, the Wakefield conspirators had plans to involve Scotland in their rebellion, further fueling the ongoing conflict between Edinburgh and London. However, the dissolution of the chantries and monasteries also brought about an increase in capitalist greed, as large sums of wealth seized from Catholic establishments were embezzled by corporations and other parties.
It commonly disrupted the way education was given to those who were less fortunate, a responsibility that was traditionally held by clergymen and religious monks. As a result, it added to the disadvantages faced by the growing numbers of working class individuals in cities.
The Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York are in a bidding war to acquire the Deposition ivory sculpture.
If the Victoria and Albert fail to collect £2m before 14 June, they will forfeit the competition and the medieval English artwork will be transferred to New York. The museum has been borrowing the piece from its owners for the majority of the last 40 years.
The sculpture was almost certainly made in York, probably between 1190 and 1200. It’s made of adult male walrus ivory, probably imported from late Viking settlements in Greenland (recent DNA research has shown that from the early 12th century to the 14th century, most walrus ivory came from Greenland, rather than from northern Scandinavia which had been the main source in earlier centuries).
The ivory sculpture of Christ being brought down from the Cross was made in the late 12th century from Greenlandic walrus ivory, but Arctic walrus hunting continued for centuries, as this 19th century image demonstrates
The sculpture of the Deposition of Christ made of ivory reflects not only Christian art, religion, and English history, but also the early colonization and trade activities of northern Europe in the transatlantic.
The V&A’s £2m fundraising appeal, to keep the sculpture in Britain, follows a decision by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to impose a temporary export bar on the artwork. The museum regards the artefact as “an exceptionally rare piece” and “one of the finest and most important examples of English Romanesque ivory carving to survive today”.
According to the museum, obtaining the Deposition from the Cross from the V&A would permit the reunion of the sculpture with a fragmentary ivory carving of Judas at the Last Supper, the only other surviving piece from the same ensemble. The carving was found in Wakefield during the 18th century and is currently part of the V&A Collection.
James Robinson, the acting collections director at the V&A, described this remarkable piece as a unique and captivating window into the complexity and emotional impact of art during England’s Middle Ages. This legacy was unfortunately nearly destroyed by the Reformation’s destructive bias against icons. This work was created during a period where the Church grappled to clarify the mysteries of the Incarnation, making it a significant testament to the important role that visual arts played in communicating spiritual progress.
According to him, the sculpture exemplifies the skill and refinement of the upper class society in northern England during the 12th century. It portrays the scene from the story of the Passion of Christ where Joseph of Arimathea lowers Jesus’s body from the Cross.
Mr. Robinson stated that the artwork and imagery from England in the Middle Ages is a rare sight because it was able to survive the widespread destruction during the English Reformation of the 16th century.
Source: independent.co.uk
