52 IVORY AND THE ELEPHANT 



elongated form and with a flat cover, now in the Louvre 

 Museum. On each of its faces appear bas-rehefs depicting 

 scenes from the thirteenth century poem: "La Chastelaine 

 de Vergi."* A brief description of the figures carved on the 

 cover will indicate how well the medieval carver has under- 

 stood his task of illustrator. Of the eight compartments 

 into which the cover is divided by moulding, a fret-work of 

 silver, the first (from the left) shows us a lady with a dog, in 

 conversation with a friend; in the next compartment "la 

 dame de Vergi" is seated on a bench and training her pet 

 by means of a threatening whip; next we see the lady direct- 

 ing her faithful dog to go in search of her friend, who receives 

 him and pats him on the head; the fourth compartment 

 depicts the chatelaine seated on a bench beneath some trees, 

 and discussing with her friend the part that is to be played 

 by the dog in favoring their loves; for, according to the poem, 

 if the friend sees the little animal trotting along through the 

 orchard this is to be a sign for him that his lady-love is alone 

 in her chamber; in the fifth compartment are figured the 

 lady and her friend at their rendezvous; in the three remain- 

 ing compartments of the cover, and on the sides of the casket, 

 the bas-reliefs illustrate the progress of the tale, which is 

 complicated by an unlawful passion for the chatelaine's 

 friend on the part of the "Duchess of Burgundy," who, when 

 her advances are spurned, seeks to spur on her husband, the 

 duke, to kill the unresponsive object of her lawless regard. 

 However, the true state of the case is revealed to the jealous 

 duke by the lover, and his life is spared; but the vengeance 

 of the duchess is not to be appeased, and by publicly taunt- 

 ing the poor chatelaine with her amorous adventure, she 

 drives her to despair and death, and when the lover, uneasy 

 at not seeing her, seeks her and finds her dead, he kills him- 



*Musee National du Louvre; "Catalogue des Ivoires," par Emile Molinier, Paris [1895- 

 96], pp. 141-154. 



