- Object: Ivory box
- Year of its production: 1100 – 1199 CE
- Name of artist / designer: unknown
- Location of its production: Sicily, Italy
- Dimensions: H10.5 x W32 x D19.1 cm
- Material: Ivory, Copper Alloy, Gilding, Solder
The given object represents a sophisticated ivory box for storing jewelry. The patterns of the item, which were initially established in southern Italy after the area was converted back to Christianity, demonstrate the widespread adoration of the Islamic style among the aristocracy of Normandy (The Museum of Islamic Art, n.d.). The techniques the artist employed involved chip carving, soldering, elephant tusk plaque flattening, and nailing the panels together.
The given item represented a popular object for wealthy strata and was one of the objects frequently brought from abroad. The expensive nature of this object can be seen from the materials its made of, including ivory and gold (The Museum of Islamic Art, n.d.). The piece was originally produced in Sicily, Italy, by an unknown artist (The Museum of Islamic Art, n.d.). The artist employed religious motifs for this art piece, and such an implemented style for this work is still being performed today owing to royal foundations like the Cappella Palatina in Palermo (The Museum of Islamic Art, n.d.). The pattern of a quadruped with a bird of prey perched on its back features prominently in modern Fatimid Egyptian art, on glassware and stone crystal, and denotes emblems of dominance, strength, and even Islam’s victory over its Christian rivals (The Museum of Islamic Art, n.d.). This box had a specific function and was made to store jewelry or other expensive belongings with a secure lock on the side.
As for the visual characteristics of the given object, overall, it is a rectangular box of a relatively small size. As seen from Figure 1, on each side, it has gilded hinges that hold the elephant tusk plaques of eggshell color together, nailed with small screws of darker metallic color as if acidified from time. The nails are located in close proximity to each other, with approximately one to two centimeters between each. In the center of the box, there is a gilded lock abraded in the middle. The lock seems secure as its hinges stretch from the lid of the box onto the bottom of it, providing a hole for the key of a small size. On the ivory plaques, there are evenly distributed encircled carved images of animals, such as a hoofed mammal, possibly a gazelle, and a large bird, possibly an eagle. When observed closely, it is evident that the box illustrates a story of how a gazelle was initially walking alone and then was viciously attacked by the carnivore, eager to devour it. The bird is illustrated sitting on the back of the prey, which seems famished as its ribs are seen clearly. The animals are carved into circles, and the images are complemented by vines and other vegetation. The box is finished with a small gilded round handle in the middle of the top of the ivory box.
Why was the technique of carving animals into the items frequently used in the 11th century? Why does the work involve precise geometric forms and designs? Why was the piece made of ivory instead of wood, considering that some properties of the material are similar?
Reference
The Museum of Islamic Art. (n.d.). Ivory box. Web.