What is this?
This pen box celebrates many elements of animal iconography, particularly from Africa, this object's place of origin. Through detailed depictions of boars, lions, gazelles, and cranes, the designer of this box synthesized animals from Africa with Islamic, symmetrical designs.
As we can see, the underneath inscription of the box's owner (Taurus) featured a gazelle with scratches, most likely from battle. The depiction of predators and prey attests to an entire tradition of fantastic and exotic subjects often associated with the pleasures of the princely life. Not only was this box a demonstration of royalty through literacy, but the exotic animals also suggest worldliness through travel and trade. The designs on the ivory featuring birds of prey, gazelles, and lions against the detailed background suggest that iconographic and technical comparisons can be found in Egyptian wood carvings of the Fatimid period.