Frenemies (1200s Edition)
Artist: Unknown; (possibly) made in Canterbury, England
Title: Double-Sided Ivory Liturgical Comb with Scenes of Henry II and Thomas Becket
Date: ca. 1200-1210
Medium: Ivory
Size: Overall - 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 x 1/2 in. (8.6 x 8.6 x 1.2 cm)
At the time this piece of art is said to have been created, England was well into what is known as the Plantagenet Period (1154-1399), which is a name referring to the time in which England was ruled by a family that descended from King Henry II. Henry II was the king at the start of this period, and this work of art includes both him, and Thomas Becket. Becket started out as King Henry II's loyal chancellor. Henry had chosen him specifically, and Becket surprised him with his talents and knowledge. They worked together very closely, and eventually Henry decided to promote him to the archbishop of Canterbury. This faced much controversy, as the archbishop was supposed to be a monk, so Henry got Becket ordained a priest, and he became archbishop the next day.
All was well at first, until Becket decided he needed to show the people that he could be the best archbishop there had ever been. He began to disagree with everything that King Henry II said, antagonizing him at any chance he got. While this pleased the people and made him popular, it made King Henry II so angry that he uttered the famous words, "Who shall rid me of this troublesome priest?". Four knights who wanted praising from the king overheard this, and on December 29th, 1170, they murdered Thomas Becket in the Canterbury Cathedral.
A liturgical comb were most typically used when preparing priests for mass. This is the only comb that is known to have depictions of Thomas Becket's martyrdom. They are spread out across the various parts of the comb. On the left side in the half circle, there is a church facade, which is sometimes interpreted to be the Canterbury Cathedral, and on the right there is a boat, on which Thomas traveled to his final mission.
In the middle section pictured above, there are six people. This side of the comb is showing the time at which the king made Becket the archbishop. The second to the left is clearly a king, shown by the crown, and the person immediately next to him can be interpreted to be Becket. There are more people on the side of Becket, which shows how he was backed up by the people, and ultimately by the church because of how he was defying the king. The opposite side of the comb (not pictured here), shows "an angel at the altar of martyrdom, and a devil holding a book". This is said to connect the Church and good with Becket, and the bad and darkness with the king and his knights for the murder of Becket. The fact that the comb is double-sided adds a large element to the overall effect of the art, because not only does it show two vastly different parts of Becket's life, but it contrasts the light of his promotion to archbishop to the darkness of his murder. It also shows how history progressed, and how at one moment him and Henry were friends, and the next they were enemies.
I think that the side not pictured is the most significant because of the religious and social value it has. The art in itself is defying the king and the overall idea of monarchy, because it is correlating the king and his knights with the devil. Seeing as Christianity was very prominent and growing, depicting the king as the devil was powerful, because the devil is something to fear. I also question why it was decided to be depicted on a comb. It is possible that because liturgical combs were used for priests, that the artist thought it would have more effect since it is somewhat focusing on religion.
Overall, I found not only the art interesting, but also the story behind it of betrayal and power.
This is so cool how it connects to the Canterbury Tales! I also find it crazy that such a tiny, seemingly insignificant object can have such a dramatic and impactful story behind it. Whoever made the comb was obviously not a fan of the King, and it's interesting that so many people supported Beckett's defying the King during a time when you could be executed for doing it. You did a great sketch too, it's very symmetrical and neat :)
ReplyDeleteI'm honestly really glad that you chose to do this particular object for this blog post! I love how you explained the different parts of the comb and their context. The analysis of the double sides of the comb was especially interesting because at first glance, you wouldn't really think it would have much significance, but it does. The background of the conflict between Becket and Henry was very much appreciated because I didn't really understand what their problem was with each other until reading your post.
ReplyDeleteI think this analysis is really interesting, especially your assessment of what is not shown. When I originally saw this object I though very little of it, but the significance of the priests is what makes it so special. The struggle between monarchal power and religious power is seen so significantly throughout so much of history, which I think is really emphasized that it made its way all the way to a comb.
ReplyDeleteThe context of this object really helped me to understand its importance. It was interesting to get some insight into exactly why the comb was constructed the way it was. Not only did it symbolize the social order, but also how the combs represented his system of martydom. This seems like it is important because it was an llowkey form of rebellion and resentment. My favorite part of your blogpost was how you questioned the reason why it was on a comb. What was its significance? I thought the same thing earlier as I was reading and I think that looking into it more will help us to have a better understanding about the social importance of the comb during its time.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with the comments above- I love the connection between the social and historical context and decisions the artist made. Perfect for Paper 2!
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