2-725-980 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Christ's Mission to the Apostles, c. 970-980. This ivory plaque represents a full-length figure of Christ flanked by bust-length portraits of the twelve apostles, six in a vertical column on each side. With his large eyes fixed on the beholder and his mouth slightly open, Christ seems about to speak to the apostles, charging them with the mission of preaching the Gospel to the world. The plaque may originally have formed the central decoration of a precious Gospel book cover that may have looked much like the one Christ carries in this image.