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Box with Equestrian Falconers

13th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 457
Hunting scenes decorate a number of surviving cylindrical boxes made in Sicily. This box, depicting a falcon hunt, shows richly attired men on horseback. The sport was favored by Holy Roman emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen (r. 1215–50), who wrote a definitive guide on the care and use of falcons in the hunt.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Box with Equestrian Falconers
  • Date: 13th century
  • Geography: Made in Sicily, Italy
  • Culture: Italian
  • Medium: Elephant ivory with copper alloy mounts, polychromy
  • Dimensions: Overall (with mounts): 5 5/16 x 4 5/8 x 5 1/16 in. (13.5 x 11.7 x 12.9 cm)
  • Classification: Ivories-Elephant
  • Credit Line: The Cloisters Collection, 1955
  • Object Number: 55.29.2
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

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