Gospel books, recording the word of God, were bound with covers of great magnificence. This small ivory representing one of the four evangelists was originally mounted in the corner of a large cover. The three other evangelists a well as the large crucifixion plaque which they surrounded also survive and are in the collection of the British Museum.

The saint is shown in the gesture of blessing surrounded by the gates of a city, a pictorial motif of great longevity in Byzantine art. While the round face and square-cut masses of hair are derived from earlier ivories Byzantine in origin, this piece because of its stylistic provenance is attributed to the Rhenish school.

German, 1100s,
Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA, 1/22/20