This dissertation presents a new perspective on the function of objects in late-medieval
devotional practice through a study of the so-called Soissons group of thirteenth-century French Gothic ivories. These ivory diptychs were sophisticated tools constructed to guide
the user through various spiritual exercises that led to prayer. The hitherto unexplained
increase in the availability of ivory in mid-thirteenth-century France is accounted for by
an alteration in the trade routes that brought elephant tusks from the Swahili coast of
Africa to northern Europe: a newly-opened passage through the Straits of Gibraltar
allowed a small amount of luxury goods to be shipped together with bulk materials
necessary to the northern textile industries. The increasing supply required a revision of
the structure of the thirteenth-century craft of ivory. The Soissons group, the first ivory
diptychs fashioned during this time of growth in ivory markets, is subdivided into two
sections. An itinerant master who traveled throughout the Picard region between 1235
and 1270 crafted the first group. Concurrently, three separate Parisian artists
produced the second group based on a Picard model. This dissertation redates all the
ivories substantially earlier than previously thought, conclusions which were attained
through stylistic analysis. The dense Passion iconography shaped the diptychs’ function
in private devotion. The narrative encouraged the viewer to practice a number of spiritual
exercises—reading, memorization and compunction—analogous to the three reasons for
allowing images in the Christian Church, the triplex ratio. The Passion diptych format
introduced with these objects was immensely popular throughout the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries and its conservation over time underscored its effectiveness. The
small differences in iconography and composition among the seven Soissons diptychs,
however, were subtle modifications to adjust to different audiences and to hone the
objects’ efficacy as tools for prayer.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/32009 |
| Date | 17 January 2012 |
| Creators | Guerin, Sarah Margaret |
| Contributors | Cohen, Adam S. |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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