Courting, Harlotry and the Art of Gothic Ivory Carving

The iconographer's search for significance in late medieval amatory imagery is often over before it begins. Faced with the knowledge that--from the theological standpoint of the Middle Ages--true Meaning transcended the sensory realm to which both early love and artistic representation belonged, the interpreter may be left wondering what, if anything meaningful, is to be gained by considering art. What may be gained from a consideration of the art of Gothic ivory carving is an appreciation of its lively discourse on the limits of art, related specifically to the imaginative products of courtly culture. This discourse is fully developed in the ivory carvers' interpretation of the parable of the Prodigal Son, one example of which may be found on a casket in the Metropolitan Museum. Here, in a delightful visual game, the ivory carvers portrayed themselves as courtly artists only to reveal their art as harlotry. Despite its ultimately negative verdict on art, the narrative they constructed depended upon their...