Ivory Plaque with Enthroned Mother of God ("The Stroganoff Ivory")

Cleveland Museum of Art

Rectangle, light-colored, carved plaque with beveled edges. The plaque depicts a woman wearing a robe and a head covering, with a circular halo around her head, sitting on a throne with an infant on her lap. The woman is wearing a robe with folds and creases, and her feet are on a footrest; the infant is wearing a tunic and is held with one hand supporting its back and the other its front. The throne has a high back with a rounded top decorated with a carved pattern resembling flowers or leaves; the seat and armrests are decorated with beads or pearls. Two angel figures with wings are carved on either side at the top. The base of the throne has an inscription in a foreign script. The plaque has a dark background.