54 IVORY AND THE ELEPHANT
The
500 livres of this time represented a weight of silver worth at least
$2,000 intrinsically, and of course much more if measured by its
purchasing power, fivefold or perhaps even tenfold that of our day. We
cannot help regretting that the treasurer, while noting the name of
the seller, the "varlet de chambre" of the Duke of Burgundy, quite
forgets to give us the name of the humble artist. The "monsieur saint
Jean Baptiste," a form not unusual in the older French, seems strange
enough to-day, when the primal sense of monsieur, "my lord," has been quite forgotten. Of course even in these early times monseigneur signified a higher rank than monsieur.
Two
ivory mirror cases, one in a fragmentary state, are to be seen at the
Musée de Cluny, and in time long past formed part of the rich
collection of the Abbey of St. Denis. As ornamental adjuncts of
articles used for the toilette the carver has selected for his designs
subjects drawn from the romances of chivalry. In the unbroken case
chimerical figures form the corners. The treatment is unrestrained and
yet not in the least too free, and there is a notable softness both of
forms and draperies.
Venetian
ivory carving is well exemplified in a retable preserved in the Musée
de Cluny. This is a fourteenth-century work, the subjects depicted on
the central leaf being, the Crucifixion, the Vision of the Shepherds,
and the Nativity. On the right-hand leaf are the Betrayal by Judas and
the Annunciation, on the left-hand leaf the Apparition to Mary Magdalen
and the Adoration of the Magi. The execution is carefully finished, and
although there may be no high inspiration, there is both dignity and
harmony in this production of North Italian art.
The
free use of gilding and colors to enhance the effect of ivory has
already been noted, and we have an interesting example of this in a
bas-relief in the Musée de Cluny, the
