Ein Relief aus Elfenbein mit Fassungsresten

An ivory relief with remnants of paint. On the polychromy and the attempt of dating Medieval ivories may have unpainted or partially polychrome surfaces. In the 19th century the idea of a merely white surface of the precious material frequently led to the removal of coloured coatings or to the making of copies, all in line with the prevailing taste. Thus often only tiny remnants of paint ordiscolourations of the ivory, caused by pigments from earlier paint layers, can be found. An ivory relief in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg shows a scene with mounted combatants, apparently without any polychromy. It did not clearly indicate a medieval original nor a neo-Gothic imitation. It was only by microscopic examination at the Institut für Kunsttechnik und Konservierung (Institute of Art Technology and Conservation) of the museum that a coloured surface became evident, thus hinting to the carving's making well before the 19th century.