07/22/2026
CARVED IVORY TRIPTYCH
This carved statuette has long been a museum mystery, coming to us with no provenance. Not your everyday decorative piece, his hinged chest folds out to capture in three panels what may be an important moment in history -- the British Surrender of Yorktown to the French and Americans on October 19, 1781.
Queries to museums (including the Smithsonian and France’s Military Museum) went nowhere. But after studying the smallest details, we now think this may be Lieutenant General Rochambeau, commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force in America during the American Revolution.
From the 17th-19th century, Dieppe was a major center for carved ivory. To the guilds of French carvers, he was the most historically logical and visually accurate choice for what we now think is a French-made commemorative piece.
Epaulettes, wide lapels, and lace cuffs mark his aristocratic and military rank. Tall, spurred cavalry boots befit a commander who rode horseback throughout the American campaigns. In his right hand is a scroll representing the “Articles of Capitulation,” ending the last major land battle and effectively securing American independence.
Open his chest, and the panel on his right shows two soldiers -- one in epaulettes, the other in a tricorn hat, sword at his side, perhaps on a scouting mission or overlooking the battlefield.
On the left stand French Hussars in their iconic conical, plumed headgear. One wears epaulettes, carrying a musket with fixed bayonet while a curious drummer boy peeks around him.
The center depicts the official surrender. Cornwallis claimed illness, sending General Charles O’Hara, his second-in command; so, Washington properly directed General Benjamin Lincoln, his second-in-command, to accept the British sword. Behind them stand two American aides-de-camp in tricorns, with a French Hussar in his plumed cap.
Based on our research and plenty of discussion, that’s what we’ve come up with. But the thing about mysteries is you can just never be sure. What do you think?
