Inv. 132 C
Castle of Love. Courting couple (meeting of lovers); winged God of Love throwing arrows at lovers; under an arch, youth with arrow piercing his chest, surrounded by two seated ladies; couple with hands joined in prayer; two hooded men; lady; battlements; turrets; old bearded man; knight in armour guarding the entrance to the castle.
Border of dentils. Masks in the spandrels. Foliated corner terminals.
Koechlin 1924: France, 2nd half of 14th century.
Museum's opinion 2014: France, last quarter of the 14th century.
Attribution
Unknown
Reverse
Back turned with a depression for (missing) mirror.
Object Condition
Central hole in the upper part of the piece (for later suspension).
Corner terminals broken.
Provenance
Collection of Prince Petr Soltykoff (b. c. 1801, d. 1889): sold, Paris, Drouot, 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29 April and 1 May 1861, lot 357; purchased by Seilliere, according to the annotated sale catalogue kept at the BnF, accessible on Gallica. Carrand collection: bequeathed by Louis Carrand (d. 1888) to the Museo del Bargello in 1888.
Bibliography
I. B. Supino, Catalogo del R. Museo Nazionale di Firenze (Florence, 1898), p. 240, no. 132.
R. Koechlin, 'Le Dieu d'Amour', in Gazette des Beaux-Arts 63 (1921), p. 297.
R. Koechlin, Les Ivoires gothiques français (Paris, 1924), I, pp. 410, 443, 522; II, no. 1106.
B. Chiesi, Catalogo degli avori gotici del Museo Nazionale del Bargello (unpublished PhD thesis - Università degli Studi di Firenze, 2011), pp. 428-433.
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