Elephant ivory, one of the most precious medieval materials, was imported to Europe from Africa and sometimes from India. Both rare and able to hold intricate, carved details, it was a valued medium among Christian and Muslim craftsmen across the Mediterranean. The softness and fine grain of ivory enabled the carving of detailed animal iconography including the African gazelles, lions, boars, and cranes.
This pen box was made in Amalfi, Italy, for a son of the Christian Mansone family, a ducal power in the eleventh century. The Latin inscription, “Taurus filius Mansonis” (Taurus, the son of Manson), records the name of its owner. Christians and Muslims alike exalted the written word, and this elegant box housed pens and other writing tools, demonstrating dedication to writing, education, and status.
12022-06-16T12:39:04-07:00Where did this go?8plain2023-01-23T06:16:40-08:00The patrons of ivory objects such as this pen box included powerful rulers like Muslim caliphs, Latin or Byzantine emperors, European monarchs, and high-ranking ecclesiastics and noblemen, all of whom took advantage of the ivory supply being imported from Africa. As we know, this box was originally owned by a powerful ducal family in Italy. The earliest recorded history following the Mansone family is Baron Albert Oppenheim, who owned the pen box in 1900. The object was then purchased by J.P. Morgan's estate from 1906-13, and subsequently gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1917. Despite the gaps in our knowledge of its history, this pen box was treasured by many different individuals over its long years of existence.
