Corpus of Christ

Under Saint Louis, King Louis IX of France (reigned 1226–1270), a courtly style evolved in Paris that extended to all the artistic genres. Small works of art achieved a special status, as did products of the goldsmith’s and ivory carver’s crafts. In contrast to the numerous ivory figures of the Madonna, only a handful of individual portrayals of the crucified Christ in this material have survived from the Gothic period. Among these few, the Berlin figure occupies a distinguished place by virtue of the exquisite working of the form. A courtly note is perceptible particularly in the aristocratic cut of Christ’s features, and in the fashionably wavy locks that frame his face.