The Wyvern Collection

This volume, the second catalogue of the Wyvern Collection, celebrates an outstanding group of medieval ivory carvings and small sculpture, the finest assemblage of its kind in private hands.

The book includes pieces from every period of the Middle Ages, featuring rare examples from the Early Christian era, spectacular panels from the workshops of tenth-century Constantinople, and objects produced by the celebrated carvers active in south Italy in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Additionally, there are several important pieces from the Romanesque period.

At the heart of the collection is an exceptional group of Gothic ivories, with highlights including one of the most important secular medieval ivories discovered in recent years. The collection also features a number of small amber, hardstone, jet, wood and mother-of-pearl carvings.

In addition to their virtuoso craftsmanship, many of these objects have illustrious histories as part of famous aristocratic or ecclesiastical collections. This is a precious opportunity to study these miniature masterpieces.