12022-06-16T12:45:59-07:00When was this made?6plain2022-11-15T08:59:00-08:00Ivory was introduced to southern Europe by the Muslims in the 10th century. Objects made from ivory began to be produced in Spanish and Italian workshops and exchanged throughout the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. Due to Italy's close proximity to Africa, it was easy to transport this material from its place of origin. Elephant ivory was imported from Africa making it an expensive commodity available as a deluxe material to wealthy clients. It is believed that this pen box was created between the 11th and 12th centuries, and purchased by the Mansone family, a ducal power throughout the Byzantine Empire.
12022-06-16T12:47:01-07:00Where was this produced?5plain2022-11-09T12:44:27-08:00Scholars from the Metropolitan Museum of Art have been able to attribute this box to Amalfi, the southern region of Italy. It was the capital of the Byzantine republic known as the Duchy of Amalfi, an important trading power in the Mediterranean between 839 and around 1200. Maritime trade with Byzantium and the Islamic world brought prosperity to Amalfi and fame for its flourishing schools of law, mathematics, and art workshops.
Ivory was a treasured material of the ancient and medieval civilizations of the Mediterranean, and its popularity continued in Roman art and in the art of Byzantium. From these civilizations, medieval Italians inherited a love for the material and the skills for carving it. Ivory rose in high popularity and demand throughout the Middle Ages for its creamy color and malleable texture. In order to be produced, elephant ivory would be imported from Africa as a deluxe material for clients, whether ecclesiastical or secular.