Certification for CITES purposes
The owner of a 19th-century devotional triptych in carved ivory and gilded wood has requested the necessary CITES certification to regulate the possession and possible sale of the item. The work, dating to the 19th century, falls within the category of “worked specimens acquired more than 50 years ago” according to current EU legislation (European Commission Communication 2017/C 154/07).
Technical-historical analysis
- Subject: Neo-Gothic devotional triptych in carved ivory within a gilded wooden container
- Period: 19th century
- Author: unknown
- Dimensions: 30x12x62h cm (closed)
The work is inspired by the Crucifixion of the Parliament of Paris (14th century), reworked in a historicist neo-Gothic revival style.
- Central panel: Christ on the cross between the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist.
- Left panel: Saint Louis IX and Saint John the Baptist.
- Right panel: Joan of Arc and Charlemagne, symbols of French national history.
The architectural frame, the pinnacles and the doors decorated with imaginative coats of arms unmistakably place the work in the cultural climate of the nineteenth-century French neo-Gothic revival.
CITES Requirements Verification
- Materials: ivory and gilded wood with consistent oxidation.
- Manufacturing techniques: traces of chisels, gouges, hand saws and burins, attributable to 19th-century workmanship.
- Conservation: good general condition, with worn gilding and patina consistent with the period.
- Market evidence: similar objects documented in the international antiques market confirm the temporal placement.
On the basis of these elements, there are no doubts about its authenticity and its creation close to the end of the 19th century.
Conclusion
The neo-Gothic devotional triptych can rightfully be considered a “worked piece acquired over 50 years ago,” having been created well before March 3, 1947.
The certification issued pursuant to Article 5.3 of European Commission Communication 2017/C 154/07 therefore certifies the work’s full compliance with the requirements of the CITES regulation.