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Ch. 2: Modern Ivory Carvings

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52 IVORY AND THE ELEPHANT
elongated form and with a flat cover, now in the Louvre Museum. On each of its faces appear bas-reliefs depicting scenes from the thirteenth century poem: "La Chastelaine de Vergi."* A brief description of the figures carved on the cover will indicate how well the medieval carver has under­stood his task of illustrator. Of the eight compartments into which the cover is divided by moulding, a fret-work of silver, the first (from the left) shows us a lady with a dog, in conversation with a friend; in the next compartment "la dame de Vergi" is seated on a bench and training her pet by means of a threatening whip; next we see the lady direct­ing her faithful dog to go in search of her friend, who receives him and pats him on the head; the fourth compartment depicts the chatelaine seated on a bench beneath some trees, and discussing with her friend the part that is to be played by the dog in favoring their loves; for, according to the poem, if the friend sees the little animal trotting along through the orchard this is to be a sign for him that his lady-love is alone in her chamber; in the fifth compartment are figured the lady and her friend at their rendezvous; in the three remain­ing compartments of the cover, and on the sides of the casket, the bas-reliefs illustrate the progress of the tale, which is complicated by an unlawful passion for the chatelaine's friend on the part of the "Duchess of Burgundy," who, when her advances are spurned, seeks to spur on her husband, the duke, to kill the unresponsive object of her lawless regard. However, the true state of the case is revealed to the jealous duke by the lover, and his life is spared; but the vengeance of the duchess is not to be appeased, and by publicly taunt­ing the poor chatelaine with her amorous adventure, she drives her to despair and death, and when the lover, uneasy at not seeing her, seeks her and finds her dead, he kills him-
*Musée National du Louvre; "Catalogue des Ivoires," par Emile Mounier, Paris [1895-96], pp. 141-154.
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