Beschreibung:

A 19th century gold tabernacle cover in the Byzantine taste, possibly Central European, the centre embossed and chased with John the Forerunner holding a roundel with the Lamb of God in his left hand, the right hand raised in blessing, wearing a camel hair cloak within Solomanic columns beneath an ovolo arch with shell behind his head, the chased border with differing figural roundels with scroll work, beasts, and further figures between, mainly of Old Testament stories, the base corner roundels of the Emperor Constantine and his mother St Helen, 17.7cm x 10.3cm The tabernacle cover offered here is a fine example of 19th century European æhistorismusÆ, in which 19th century craftsmen throughout Europe re-created objects based on ancient originals, and embellished these objects to suit their own ideas of how they believed the original should have looked. These items were not intended to deceive and are not considered in any way to be æfakesÆ, indeed, many museumsthroughout Europe at this time made plaster casts of period Byzantine ivories in their collections, some of which were later cast in precious metals. The lot offered here does not appear to be a cast from an original ivory, but is a hand chased and embossed interpretation of the central plaque of the 6th century AD BishopÆs Throne in the Cathedral of Ravenna (the Throne of Maximillian). The Ravenna throne uses the figure of John the Baptist (or John the forerunner) as its main theme in its central plaque, but the plaque offered here incorporates slight changes to the original, by a different placing of John the BaptistÆs feet and more folds to his tunic. Catalogue amendment: Throne of Maximian and not Maximillian