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Querini Diptych in the Museo di Santa Giulia

The Queriniano diptych is a Late Antique ivory diptych, probably made in the 5th century and likely created to celebrate a wedding. Known in Italian as the Dittico Queriniano, it was acquired by Cardinal Angelo Maria Querini, who left it to the city for public display. The work later entered the Museo dell'Era Cristiana in the 19th century and is now part of the collections of the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia. One wing bears an engraving suggesting earlier ownership by the 15th-century nobleman Pietro Barbo, and part of one cornice was restored in the 19th century. The panels are interpreted as depicting two mythological couples, possibly Diana and Endymion and Phaedra and Hippolytus.

Queriniano Diptych ivory relief panel with a male and draped female figure under an arch, flanked by columns and a small winged figure.
The Queriniano Diptych, an ivory relief with classical figures and decorative architectural framing.
June 2011 © · Attribution
Queriniano Diptych ivory panel showing a man with a staff and a draped woman under an arch with a shell motif and cupid figures.
Close-up of the Queriniano Diptych, a carved ivory panel with a standing male figure and draped female figure framed by ornate architectural details.
June 2011 © · Attribution
Queriniano Diptych ivory panel with carved classical figures and a winged figure in an ornate frame.
The Queriniano Diptych shows a carved ivory panel with classical figures, displayed in an ornate frame.
June 2011 © · Attribution
Queriniano Diptych ivory panel with a carved standing man and woman, a cherub, and a small animal beneath a shell-topped arch.
The Queriniano Diptych shows a finely carved ivory scene framed by columns and an ornate arch.
June 2011 © · Attribution
Queriniano Diptych with a classical relief carving of two figures and a cherubic figure above them
The Queriniano Diptych shows a classical ivory relief with two figures beneath a small cherubic figure.
June 2011 © · Attribution

Identification

TitleQuerini diptych
Object typeLate Antique ivory diptych
Number of panelsTwo
Alternative titleDittico Queriniano

Historical context

Date5th century
Original functionPossibly made to celebrate a wedding

Creator

AttributionProbably made by two different artists
Style of right panelMore closely linked to classical art
Style of left panelLater, more rigid style, characteristic of the 5th century

Discovery and provenance

Collection historyExhibited in the Museo dell'Era Cristiana in the early 19th century, later became part of the Museo di Santa Giulia collection
Art-historical statusUnknown in early art-historical literature
Provenance noteOne wing bears an engraved name identifying Pietro Barbo, a 15th-century previous owner
BequestBequeathed by Querini to the municipality of Brescia in 1755
Acquisition dateFirst half of the 18th century
Acquired byCardinal Angelo Maria Querini

Physical characteristics

Dimensions25.5 × 26.8 × 26 cm

Materials

MaterialIvory
FrameThe left panel is in a gilded copper frame; Querini had a matching frame made for the right panel

History and restoration

AlterationPart of the cornice of one wing was made in the 19th century

Appearance

Left panel depictionTraditionally identified as Diana and Endymion, but more plausibly Venus and Aeneas
Cupid's attributesThe front-facing Cupid carries two myrtle crowns
Aeneas depictionShown with a Phrygian cap, lance, and shield
Venus depictionShown as a huntress with a short tunic and cothurni, but with the hairstyle in the typical Venus knot
Central figureA winged Cupid stands between the two couples
Phaedra depictionLeaning slightly back in attentive expectation
Hippolytus depictionShown nude except for a lance and cothurni, with a hunting dog at his feet, reading Phaedra's love letter
Architectural settingEach scene is framed by columns with Corinthian capitals and an arch topped by a shell
CompositionThe two panels share a closely related figural and architectural composition, suggesting they belonged to one work

Iconography and meaning

Identification uncertaintyThe left scene is uncertain because Endymion is usually shown nude and asleep, while Diana-Selene usually wears a long draped garment
Possible historical referenceThey may allude to an ovation celebrated in the 5th century
Myrtle crowns meaningRoman ovation crowns
Cupid meaningCupid crowns the left pair and pierces Phaedra, suggesting prosperity and Venus's gift to her son
Iconographic interpretationThe composition contrasts Venus and Aeneas as legitimate, fruitful love with Phaedra and Hippolytus as illicit, disastrous love
Iconographic sourceThe encounter of Venus and Aeneas in Book I of Virgil's Aeneid
Left panel subjectTraditionally Diana and Endymion; alternatively Venus and Aeneas
Right panel subjectPhaedra and Hippolytus
Subject matterMythological love scenes

Location and ownership

Current locationMuseo di Santa Giulia, Brescia, Italy
Collection associationQuerini Collection
Display locationCollecting and Applied Arts section, in the cases dedicated to the Querini Collection
Museum historyFirst displayed in the Museo dell'Era Cristiana in rooms of the former monastery of Santa Giulia after the museum opened in the early 19th century; permanently placed in the Museo di Santa Giulia after its opening in 1998

Significance

Commentary historyCommentaries on the diptych are known from the 18th century