Unrecorded French Artist

Mirror back carved with a Tournament Scene

Paris (?), 19th century imitation of the French 14th-century style

Elephant ivory

8.4 cm diameter including four pierced lions on the rim

This is a 19th-century imitation of a mirror back carved in the French 14th-century style. It is closely based on genuine examples.

The availability of ivory in Europe increased at the turn of the 14th century, making it feasible for everyday objects to be made out of it rather than just religious statues and plaques, for which ivory was originally reserved. Certain makers and ivory carvers specialised in making mirrors and combs, and were called pigniers. Ivory mirrors, such as this one (a forerunner of the modern compact), and cosmetic vessels were often decorated with low-relief scenes from popular romances embodying virtues of courtly love. The subject matter may reflect the activities, identities or interests of their owners. Decorated mirrors (where the mirror is made of polished metal or glass) and mirror cases were primarily destined for the aristocracy. The decorated mirrors were usually made in pairs, so they could be stored and transported stacked together to protect the polished reflective surface within. Hardly any pairs survive today.

For more information about this object, see the work listed on the Courtauld’s Gothic Ivories Project here.

Purchased 1950 (No. 50.14)