METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART SHOWS ‘IVORY AND BOXWOOD CARVINGS’

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NEW YORK CITY — The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents the exhibition “Incisive Images: Ivory and Boxwood Carvings, 1450–1800,” through November 25.

Small in scale but grand in impact, ivory sculpture starred in private collections throughout the Renaissance and baroque period, particularly in the courts of Central Europe, where the art form reached its apogee.

The fine grain and texture of this exotic material enabled virtuoso carvers to extract maximum expression within the compact format that was prized for the intimate spaces of collectors’ cabinets and church treasuries.

The exhibition of nearly 100 works formed in ivory — and the equally fine-grained boxwood — includes works largely drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, featuring freestanding sculptures and reliefs as well as intricately carved armaments and a few lavish furnishings.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is at 1000 Fifth Avenue. For information, 212-535-7710 or www.metmuseum.org.