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Which religious subjects appeared most often in early European ivory carvings?

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Inupiat shaman's figure. — ivory carving Kinugumiut Inupiat incised walrus ivory shaman's figure, c. 1890; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.

In early European ivory carving, the most prominent religious subjects were depictions of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Apostles. These figures remained the primary focus of figurative ivory carvings for many centuries following the early Common Era.1

During the Carolingian and Ottonian periods, ivory was frequently used to create religious objects such as reliquaries, crucifixes, and situlae (holy-water buckets), which almost invariably featured scenes and figures from the New Testament. Additionally, early ivory works, such as the 4th-century Brescia casket, commonly featured relief carvings depicting narratives from both the Old and New Testaments.1

In later periods, such as the Gothic era, ivory diptychs and triptychs continued to be produced with religious themes, often illustrating scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and various saints.12