Course Review
What is ivory?
a) A type of stone used for sculpting religious figures
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b) The tusks of elephants, hippopotamuses, and walruses
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c) A type of precious metal used in jewelry making
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d) A type of rare fabric used for making priestly vestments
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Question explanation
Answer: b) The tusks of elephants, hippopotamuses, and walruses. Ivory is a tough and elastic substance, of a creamy white, taking a high and lasting polish, largely employed in the arts since pre-historic times, and used extensively in making or adorning ecclesiastical objects by the primitive and medieval Christians.
What is the primary use of carved ivory diptychs by early Christians?
a) To list the names of the baptized, bishops, martyrs, saints, and benefactors
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b) To create religious sculptures for display in churches
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c) To make religious-themed cylindrical pyxes for holding holy items
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d) To adorn the clothing of high-ranking religious figures
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Question explanation
Answer: a) To list the names of the baptized, bishops, martyrs, saints, and benefactors. Among the first æsthetic expressions of Christians, carved ivory diptychs were the most important; they followed closely the designs used in consular diptychs, excepting that symbolism and poetic imagery took the place of representations of mythological subjects. They consisted of two plates of ivory, hinged so as to fold together like a book; the inside of each leaf was slightly counter-sunk, with a narrow raised margin, so as to hold the wax that received the writing, while the outside of the leaves was profusely adorned with carvings.
What are ivory crosiers?
a) A type of religious-themed cylindrical pyxes
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b) A type of liturgical combs made of ivory
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c) A type of religious scepter used by bishops
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d) A type of ivory plaque for book covers
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Question explanation
Answer: c) A type of religious scepter used by bishops. After the fifth century, possibly before, ivory crosiers were in use; eighty or more of them are now in existence, including those said to have belonged to a number of the saints.
What is the significance of the chair of St. Maximian in Ravenna?
a) It is a type of religious-themed cylindrical pyxes
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b) It is a type of liturgical combs made of ivory
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c) It is a type of ivory plaque for book covers
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d) It is an episcopal chair overlaid with carved ivory tablets
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Question explanation
Answer: d) It is an episcopal chair overlaid with carved ivory tablets. After the fifth century, possibly before, ivory crosiers were in use; eighty or more of them are now in existence, including those said to have belonged to a number of the saints. At the same time, liturgical combs of ivory were in use. A beautiful example, the comb of St. Lupus (623), is in the treasury of St-Etienne at Lens. Remembering that Solomon made "a great throne of ivory" (1 Kings 10:18), they overlaid their episcopal chairs with carved ivory tablets, as may be seen at Ravenna in the chair of St. Maximian, archbishop of that city (546).
