Highlights from the Collection

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Paris. Musée du Trocadéro. Exposition rétrospective de l'art français au Trocadéro, 1889, no. 111.
Paris. Musée du Louvre. Le Trésor de Saint–Denis, March 12–June 17, 1991, no. 45.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. In Praise and in Prayer: Jewish and Christian Devotional Objects, November 21, 1991–January 10, 1992.
Michigan. Detroit Institute of Arts. Images of Ivory: Precious Objects of the Gothic Age, March 9–May 11, 1997.
Baltimore, Maryland. Walters Art Gallery. Images of Ivory: Precious Objects of the Gothic Age, June 22–August 31, 1997.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (During TMA renovation) December 2001–August 2003.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. In a New Light: Treasures from the Taft, July 3, 2021–May 1, 2022.

In this ivory sculpture, the infant Jesus gestures toward a rose held by his mother. He grasps a sphere, likely representing an apple or an orb, both symbols associated with Christ. Originally housed in the abbey church of Saint-Denis, the burial place of French kings and queens, the sculpture once stood among three ivory angels honoring and crowning the Virgin. In 1794, French revolutionaries seized the abbey’s treasures, destroying or selling them. Remarkably, this fragile sculpture survived, and is now considered one of the most important medieval ivories in the world.

More to the Story
For millennia, skilled artisans have carved sacred objects like this one out of ivory tusks from African elephants. By the early 1900s, the proliferation of items such as hair combs, piano keys, and pool balls made from ivory led to the fast decline of the species. In 1800, an estimated 26 million African elephants roamed the savannahs. Only 600,000 remained by 1989, when the species was declared endangered, instituting a ban on international ivory sales. Despite this and more recent bans, persistent poaching still threatens elephant populations, and the United States remains one of the largest markets for illegal ivory.

Probably commissioned by an unknown patron, 13th century; probably gift to Abbey Church of Saint-Denis, Paris, 13th century; confiscated by revolutionaries, 1794; transferred to Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, by at least 1802 until 1811. Acquired by Edouard Delacour, 1889. Acquired by Gaston Lebreton; (sold by Galeries Georges Petit, Paris, December 6, 1921 (stock no. 196)). (Acquired by Duveen); purchased by Charles Phelps Taft [1843-1929] and Anna Sinton Taft [1850-1931], Cincinnati, OH, January 18, 1924; donated to the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, OH, May 21, 1927 [1]; transferred to the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH, September 1, 2006 [2].

Notes:

[1]. The Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts (CIFA) was formed by Charles Phelps and Anna Sinton Taft on March 22, 1927 as a non-profit corporation to stimulate the development of art and music in the City of Cincinnati and run the Taft Museum of Art, which opened in 1932. The Tafts offered $1 million for a permanent endowment fund, on the condition that the community raise $2.5 million in matching funds, which was achieved by December 3, 1928. [2]. Until August 31, 2006, the Museum was owned by CIFA, administered by CIFA’s Board of Trustees, and governed by the Taft Museum Board of Overseers. On September 1, 2006, the Museum legally separated from CIFA and began operations as its own incorporated 501(c)(3) entity. This separate incorporation led to the transfer to the separate entity after August 31, 2006 of all tangible assets comprising the Taft collection.

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