This extraordinary ivory carving, depicting Calvary, was made inPortuguese-ruled Ceylon, probably around Colombo, between thelate sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.A sculptural group, it originally comprised several elements,some fully carved in the round, and a principal section—with a flatback and base—carved in high relief. Alongside the relief, and itsprojecting, scalloped ledge, the group comprised a Crucified Christ,carved in the round, crowning the relief in the centre, flanked bytwo bandits crucified alongside Jesus; Dismas, the ‘Good Thief’ onChrist’s right, and Gestas, the unrepentant thief, on Christ’s left.Of these elements, what survives is the large relief with its ledgeand skull—carved in the round and sitting prominently in frontof the scene—and one of the two criminals, on the viewer’s right,identified as the ‘Impenitent Thief’.The relief is masterfully carved, showcasing the quintessentialfeatures of Ceylonese ivory carving, namely its meticulousattention to detail, retrained naturalism—especially noticeable onthe crucified thief—and the virtuosic folds of drapery, with theirsinuous hems.Based on a contemporary European engraving—likely oneof several prints of this theme produced by the Wierix brothersand widely disseminated in Portuguese-influenced Asia by Jesuitmissionaries—it depicts, at its centre, Christ’s cross on Golgotha.The cross is clasped with both hands by a kneeling MaryMagdalene, depicted with loose, cascading hair; nearby sits her usualattribute, the covered ointment pot. The anguished Magdaleneis flanked on the left by a group of mourning ladies, all standing,their heads covered with mantles and all with nimbuses over theirheads; it is thus curious that the Magdalene is not haloed, as insome surviving similar pieces. The ladies, alongside the prostratedMagdalene, are the Three Maries mentioned in the narratives ofthe canonical gospels, which include the Virgin Mary and Maryof Cleophas. On the right, a single male figure, St John the Evangelist,similarly haloed with a nimbus, holding a book (the Gospel), lookingup towards Christ and pointing to Him with his raised hand. Againstthe flat ground of the relief, the Arma Christi, or Instruments ofthe Passion—objects associated with Jesus Christ’s suffering andcrucifixion—hover in a supernatural, unworldly manner. Apartfrom the cross itself, these include the ladder, set to the right ofthe cross and used for the Deposition; the nails; the hammer andpincers; and the scourge, all on the right; and, on the left side ofthe cross, the rooster and the lance (the spear used by the soldierLonginus to pierce Christ’s side). On the left side there are alsobones hovering against the background, as a reference to Golgotha(literally, the ‘Place of the Skull’, traditionally understood either asa skull-shaped hill or as a site associated with Adam’s burial, andthus a symbol of victory over death. This explains the prominenceand scale of the skull, identified as the ‘Skull of Adam’, beautifullycarved in the round.Among the religious ivory carvings made in PortugueseruledCeylon, the most abundant are those related to the Passionof Christ, with figures of the Crucified Christ of different sizes andlevels of carving quality, with hundreds of surviving examples.1Depictions of the Calvary, combining high-relief flat elementswith fully sculptural elements such as the present piece, are muchless frequent.2This extraordinary carving was owned by the late Portuguesearchitect, Fernando Távora (1923–2005).3 When it was first publishedby Bernardo Ferrão de Tavares e Távora (1913–1982)—fordecades the authority on religious Asian ivory carvings made forexport to European, mainly Iberian, markets, and brother of thecollector—he described it as the most complete example. Thefragility of such sculptural groups has meant that few completeexamples have survived.4
HMC
1 For religious ivory carvings made in Portuguese-ruled Ceylon, see Crespo, Hugo Miguel, An Altar Tabernacle on the Life of the Child Jesus. Religious Ivories from Portuguese Ceylon, Lisbon,São Roque Antiguidades & Galeria de Arte, 2024.
2 Idem, ibidem, p. 22.
3 Published in Ferrão, Bernardo, Imaginária Luso-Oriental, Lisbon, Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, 1983, p. 131, cat. 170; and Raposo, Francisco Hipólito (ed.), A Expansão Portuguesae a Arte do Marfim (cat.), Lisbon, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 1991, p. 135, cat. 364.
4 Crespo, An Altar Tabernacle, p. 67, fig. 35, for a complete example.