Islam, Christianity, and Judaism exalted the written word, and this elegant box, created to house writing tools, would have had special meaning for its owner. The Latin inscription (Taurus, the son of Mansone) links the box with the Mansone family, a ducal power in Amalfi during the eleventh century.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Open Access
As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.
API
Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Pen Box
Date:late 11th–early 12th century
Geography:From Italy, Amalfi
Medium:Ivory; carved; copper alloy mounts
Dimensions:H. 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm) L. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm) D. 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm)
Classification:Ivories and Bone
Credit Line:Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number:17.190.236
Inscription: Taurus filius Mansonis (Taurus, the son of Mansonis)
Baron Albert Oppenheim, Cologne (by 1902; cat., 1902, no. 1200); J. Pierpont Morgan (American), New York (by 1906–d. 1913; his estate 1913–17; gifted to MMA)
Düsseldorf. Museum Kunstpalast. "Kunsthistorische Ausstellung, Düsseldorf," May 1, 1902–October 20, 1902, no. 1200.
Palermo. Palazzo Reale di Palermo. "Nobiles Officinae," December 12, 2003–March 10, 2004, no. 44.
Molinier, Emile. Collection du Baron Albert Oppenheim. Paris, 1904. no. 62, p. 28, ill. pl. XLVII.
Renard, Edmund. "Illustrierter Katalog." In Die Kunsthistorische Ausstellung Düsseldorf 1902. Düsseldorf, 1902. no. 1200.
Guide to the Loan exhibition of the J. Pierpont Morgan collection. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1914. p. 8.
Breck, Joseph, and Meyric R. Rogers. Pierpont Morgan Wing: A Handbook. 2 ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1929. p. 52.
Dimand, Maurice S. A Handbook of Mohammedan Decorative Arts. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1930. pp. 100–101, ill. fig. 45 (b/w).
Cott, Perry Blythe. "Siculo-Arabic Ivories." Princeton, 1939. ill. pl. 78.
Dimand, Maurice S. A Handbook of Muhammadan Art. 2nd rev. and enl. ed. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944. p. 128.
Kühnel, Ernst, and J. & S. Goldschmidt. Die Islamische Elfenbeinskulpturen VII–XIII Jahrhundert. no. 30. Berlin: Deutscher Verlag für Kunstwissenschaft, 1971. no. 86, pp. 18, 20–22, 67, 78, ill. pl. XCI.
Les Ivoires: Deuxième Partie: Antiquité, Islam, Inde, Chine, Japon, Afrique Noire, Régions Polaires, Amérique. vol. 137. Paris: Tardy, 1977. p. 127, ill.
Ettinghausen, Richard, Oleg Grabar, and Marilyn Jenkins-Madina. Islamic Art and Architecture 650–1250. 2nd ed. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2001. p. 300, ill. fig. 491.
"Die Königlichen Hofwerkstatten zu Palermo zur Zeit der Normannen und Staufer im 12. und 13. Jahrhundert." In Nobiles Officinae. Milan and Vienna: Skira , 2004. no. 44, p. 213, ill. (color).
Shalem, Avinoam. "Islamic Objects in Historical Context." In The Oliphant. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2004. p. 63–64, ill. fig. 34 a–c, pl. IV.
Galán y Galindo, Ángel. "Catalogo De Piezas." In Marfiles Medievales Del Islam. vol. 2. Cordoba: Publicaciones Obra Social Y Cultural Cajasur, 2005.
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's collection of Islamic art is one of the most comprehensive in the world and ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions from Spain to Indonesia.
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
.JPG){kind=link}
