Altarpiece

This altarpiece was commissioned by Giangaleazzo Visconti. It was to stand on the high altar in close proximity to his tomb in the Certosa of Pavia. It follows a Burgundian precedent, Jean de Berry having ordered similar triptychs from the same artist for Champmol and Poissy in 1393. Ivory was a favourite medium among noble patrons, who appreciated its expense and luxury.

The Pavia triptych is extraordinarily large for a work in ivory, constructed of thousands of pieces of carved elephant tusk. The architectural frame contains fifty-four niches for saints. The panel at the left contains eighteen reliefs depicting stories from the life of the Virgin; the one on the right, an equal number from the life of Christ. In the large central panel appear scenes from the lives and legends of the Three Kings, a subject chosen by Giangaleazzo to recall the Milanese cult of the Magi and, by association, to emphasize his own princely patronage.