Ivory plate from Trebizond

This ivory is a plate of a diptych page. The main panel depicts Christ enthroned between the apostles Peter and Paul.The iconography and style of this work seem to indicate a provenance from Constantinople.

In the lower register, on a smaller scale, two angels are either side of a cross. The joining traces indicate that this was the central element of a large page Byzantine imperial style, similar to the so-called Barberini page (Louvre Museum).

The clean-shaven face of Christ suggests a classical period and is reminiscent of the representations of consuls on contemporary diptychs.

These iconographic features and the rather monumental style of the composition suggest that it was created by an artist working in Constantinople at a time when Christian art was establishing its place within official art.

A work of major cultural heritage significance acquired in 2014 by the State for the Musée de Cluny thanks to the patronage of La Banque de France.