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• 1 2022-06-16T12:46:37-07:00 Who made this? 13 plain 2023-01-22T17:15:50-08:00 Many ivory objects that were traded within the southern Mediterranean were created in workshops in Spain and Italy. It is possible that this pen box was created by a Muslim artisan, or at least someone familiar with Islamic ivory carving traditions, in a workshop in Italy. 
  
  Ivory was relatively soft to carve but also challenging due to its structure. Ivory tusks are the elongated upper incisors of elephants and are composed of a collagen-infused material called dentine. The ivory used during the Middle Ages was typically from the African Savannah elephant. Artisans aimed to maximize the use of high-quality dentine on the interior while avoiding both the hollow pulp cavity and the drier material on the exterior, called cementum. These natural features, along with the tapering cone-like shape of the tusk, limited the possible shapes an artist was able to fashion from a tusk.
  
  
   
• 1 2022-11-14T15:57:02-08:00 Who made the Relief with Addorsed Ducks? 4 plain 2022-11-21T12:25:24-08:00
  Though we do not know the exact identity of who carved the Relief with Addorsed Ducks, the level of detail and intricacy used to execute the design suggests a craftsperson of great talent. At this time, the typical Italian artisan was a man who was a master of his craft. During the Middle Ages, the term "artisan" was applied to those who made things, worked with their hands, or provided services. Particularly, in the Italian city of Florence in the late Middle Ages, art and commerce were controlled by prestigious guild systems comprised of secular people who shared talent in a certain industry. Guilds allowed for the advancement and trained expertise of craftsmen from apprenticeship to well-defined stages of accomplishment. The artisans within guilds were regarded collectively as a guild, as opposed to being credited for their individual work.