Gratefully built with ACNLPatternTool
Decorated elephant tusks could be employed as drinking vessels, as horns to announce the hunt, or as symbols of feudal rights. In churches, some served as reliquary containers. As this example shows Christ as the Lamb of God, it probably was made for a Christian patron.
This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title: Oliphant
Date: 12th century
Geography: Made in southern Italy
Culture: South Italian
Medium: Elephant ivory, metal mounts
Dimensions: Overall: 16 15/16 x 3 9/16 in. (43 x 9 cm)
Classification: Ivories-Elephant
Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number: 17.190.218
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.
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.
