French ivory carver (active in the 19th century) Pair of reliefs with the Crucifixion of Christ and the Descent from the Cross Counterparts. Carved ivory. High rectangular. The creator of these two devotional images utilised the material of the ivory panels with technical and artistic virtuosity to create a masterfully detailed, multi-figured, scenic depiction of exceptional spatial depth. The Crucifixion shows Christ and the two thieves on the cross, with Christ being handed the vinegar sponge on a stick by Stephanton, while the lance for the later side wound sticks up into the sky on the right; Mary and Mary Magdalene as well as Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are depicted at the foot of Christ's cross, while three soldiers or henchmen are already dicing over the clothes at the front edge of the picture. The artist has also depicted the Descent from the Cross in almost the same, highly relief-sculpted and equally narrative manner: Four men have climbed two ladders to remove the dead Christ from the towering cross and carefully lower the corpse. At the foot of the cross, the corpus is received by St John and one of the three depicted Marys. Each 22 cm x 12 cm. Frame. CITES certificate available. Provenance: Dissolution of an important German private collection - part II. French ivory carver active 19th century. A pair of carved ivory relief plaques depicting the Crucifixion and the Descent from the Cross. CITES included.