Category Archives: London

Medieval Ivory in the Victoria & Albert Museum

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There is a stunning collection of medieval ivories in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Medieval ivories were extremely valuable and high status items; the ivory itself generally came from elephants in India or North Africa although walrus tusks could be obtained by trading with the Vikings. I was privileged to see the collection during our recent trip to London. Here are four of the pieces I was privileged to see.

This ivory depicts the women coming to the Tomb of Christ early on the morning of Sunday. They discover that the stone is rolled away from the tomb’s entrance, revealing that the tomb itself is empty. The empty burial cloths of Jesus are shown, as is the angel who tells them, “He is not here–he is risen! Go and tell his disciples!” The sleeping guards are also seen here, oblivious to what is happening. The tomb itself looks like the tomb within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. This ivory was probably carved at the Benedictine abbey of St Gallen, an important center of manuscript and ivory production and was probably carved AD 900-950. (photo by S. Morris)

This ivory shows Christ enthroned in glory as Judge of the living and the dead at the Last Day. The dead of all generations are rising from their graves as angels blow trumpets above, calling them to judgement. The damned are shown being consumed by the monster that is Hell (lower right) as Christ welcomes the righteous into the heavenly Jerusalem (lower left). The Hell monster is shown outside the city walls of the heavenly Jerusalem, just as the valley used as a burning trash heap that gave birth to the stories of Hell is outside the walls of the earthly Jerusalem. (photo by S. Morris)

The top scene depicts the arrival of the Magi bringing gifts–gold, frankincense, and myrrh–to the Mother of God and the Christ Child as St. Joseph stands behind them. The bottom scene depicts the Mother of God presenting Jesus in the Temple when he was 40 days old (celebrated on February 2). Simeon the elder, prepared to wrap Jesus with a cloth, promises Mary that “a sword will pierce [her] heart also.”

An angel blesses a person as they sleep, probably giving them a dream-message from God or protecting them from nightmares. The building in the background might be the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem which might indicate that the person is sleeping in the church in hopes of being healed of an illness and the angel is there to heal them.

Hampton Court

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There are ten statues of heraldic animals, called the King’s Beasts, that stand on the bridge over the moat leading to the great gatehouse of Hampton Court. These statues represent the ancestry of King Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour. Queen Elizabeth I replaced some of these animals when she was crowned. This is the white falcon of the Plantagenets.

Only a short train ride from London, Hampton Court is one of the royal palaces of the British monarchs, built by Cardinal Wolsey for himself in 1515. But he gave it to King Henry VIII as a bribe in 1529, an attempt to keep his position as Chancellor and counselor of the king despite his failure to obtain the Pope’s permission for Henry to set aside his wife Katherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn. It has been used by the British royalty ever since although King George II was the last monarch to actually live there.

This clock was installed in 1540 on the gatehouse to the inner court at Hampton Court Palace. This pre-Copernican and pre-Galilean astronomical clock is still functioning.
The clock is 15 feet in diameter with three separate copper dials revolving at different speeds and displays the following information:
-Hour
-Month
-Day of month
-Position of the sun in the ecliptic
-Twelve signs of the zodiac
-Number of days elapsed since the beginning of the year
-Phases of the moon
-Age of the moon in days
-Hour when the moon crosses the meridian and thus high water at London Bridge.
The information about tides at London Bridge was of great importance to those visiting this Thames-side palace from London, as the preferred method of transport at the time was by barge, and at low water London Bridge created dangerous rapids.


This set of angels, crown, and shield mark the entrance to the royal chapel at Hampton Court. Jane Seymour was Henry VIII’s third wife; she died at Hampton Court after giving birth to Henry’s son Edward. king Henry was devastated at the sudden loss of his ‘perfect’ queen. Her heart is buried beneath the altar of the chapel. A sad white wraith carrying a lighted taper is seen walking hallways of the palace and is thought to be Jane Seymour’s ghost.


Feasts and banquets were held in the Great Hall of Hampton Court. Dishes included game, roasted or served in pies, lamb, venison and swan. More unusual items, such as conga eel and porpoise could also be on the menu. Only the king was given a fork, with which he ate sweet preserves. Forks were used to serve, cook and carve, but eating with them didn’t become popular until the 17th century.

Lion’s Gate at Hampton Court. (photo by S. Morris)

Temple Church

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The Temple Church in London was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks founded to protect pilgrims on their way to and from Jerusalem in the 12th century. The Church is in two parts: the Round and the Chancel. The Round Church was consecrated in 1185 by the patriarch of Jerusalem. It was designed to recall the holiest place in the Crusaders’ world: the circular Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. (photo by S. Morris)

Temple Church in London is a beautiful, hidden gem in London. Most Americans that know about it only know about it because it was featured in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. But the Temple Church is vital to the history of the British monarchy and–much later–the foundation of the United States as well.

Temple Church was King John’s London headquarters in 1214-5. From here he issued two vital preliminary charters, and here in January 1215 the barons confronted him for the first time with the demand that he subject himself to the rule of a charter, the Magna Carta. The ideas of the Magna Carta are the basis for the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

The hero of the Magna Carta was William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. He mediated between John and the barons, secured the agreement embodied in Magna Carta and was one of the King’s advisors at Runnymede. When John died the Marshal became guardian of the boy-king Henry III and of the kingdom. He re-issued Magna Carta under his own seal in 1216 and 1217, and so ensured its survival. He was buried in the Temple’s Round Church, where his effigy still lies.

Floor tile in Temple Church, London. (photo by S. Morris)