Harbaville Triptych
The Harbaville triptych , exhibited in the arts and crafts collection of the Musée du Louvre ( Département des objets d'art du musée du Louvre ) in Paris , was created in Constantinople in the mid-10th century . The triptych is named after its last owner, Louis-François Harbaville (1791–1866), from whose heirs it was purchased in 1891 for the Louvre.
description
The Harbaville triptych is carved from ivory . It consists of a central panel and two side wings that are hinged and can be folded shut. The upper part of the central panel is taken up by a Deësis depiction typical of Byzantine art . In the middle of the scene, Christ is seated on a throne, holding a book in his right hand. Next to him are Mary and John the Baptist , who intercede for humanity. Archangels are depicted in the two medallions above Christ's throne.
In the lower field of the middle panel you can see the apostles James, John, Peter, Paul and Andrew. You stand on pedestals and hold a book or a scroll in your hand. On the side panels you can see church fathers , martyrs and soldier saints, two saints are set in medallions.
A Latin cross is engraved in the back of the central panel , the center of the cross and the ends of the cross arms are decorated with rosettes . The upper part of the table is studded with stars, on the lower edge you can see stylized plants, in between birds, rabbits and lions. The two cypresses symbolize the tree of knowledge in contrast to the cross, the tree of life . The lush vegetation is a symbol of paradise . The figures on the side panels represent bishops.
Left panel on the back
Middle panel on the back
Back right panel
Romanos workshop
The exact origin of the Harbaville triptych is not known. It is assigned to the so-called Romanos workshop, the masterpiece of which it is considered to be. The name of the workshop is derived from an ivory tablet that is kept in the Département des monnaies, médailles et antiques of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. This panel shows the coronation of Emperor Romanos II († 963) and his wife Bertha († around 949) by Christ. The facial expression of the figure of Christ is very similar to that of the Harbaville triptych.
Web links
- Triptyque Harbaville Musée du Louvre (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ plaque "le Christ couronnant Romanos et Eudoxie" Bibliothèque nationale de France (French, accessed on 16 November 2016)