Front Cover of the Lorsch Gospels (about 810) <br><p>Ivory<br>
Aachen, Germany; from Lorsch Abbey<br><br></p>
Ivory carving enjoyed a revival at the court of Emperor Charlemagne. Ruler of the western half of the former Roman Empire in the years 800-14, he encouraged an artistic style that harked back to Rome.  The figures on this Gospel cover resemble the ivory carvings on a 6th-century Byzantine throne in Ravenna. They show the Virgin and Child enthroned, with St John the Baptist on the left and the prophet Zacharias on the right.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:AdamBMorgan" title="User:AdamBMorgan">Adam Morgan</a>
Photographed in February 2010
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