The Wyvern Collection: Medieval and Later Ivory Carvings and Small Sculpture

Description

This volume, the second catalogue of the Wyvern Collection, celebrates an outstanding group of medieval ivory carvings and small sculpture, the finest assemblage of its kind in private hands. The book has pieces from every period of the Middle Ages, including rare examples from the Early Christian era; spectacular panels from the workshops of tenth-century Constantinople; objects produced by the celebrated carvers active in south Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries; and several important pieces from the Romanesque period. At the heart of the collection is an outstanding group of Gothic ivories whose highlights include one of the most important secular medieval ivories discovered in recent years. The collection also features a number of small amber, hardstone, jet, wood and mother-of-pearl carvings. In addition to their virtuoso craftsmanship, many of these objects have illustrious histories as part of famous aristocratic or ecclesiastical collections. This is a precious opportunity to study these miniature masterpieces.

Paul Williamson was until January 2016 Keeper of the Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where he worked for thirty-seven years. He has written and lectured extensively on medieval sculpture and ivory carvings. His many books include volume 1 of the Wyvern Collection catalogues, Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture and Metalwork; Gothic Sculpture 1140-1300; Netherlandish Sculpture; and Medieval Ivory Carvings 1200-1550.