Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Oliphant
Not on view
This trumpet carved from precious ivory is among the earliest creations sent from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe. A purely decorative presentation piece, it likely entered the Medici collections in Florence as a token of appreciation from the Kongo sovereign Afonso I (r. 1509–42) to Pope Leo X (r. 1513–21), the former Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, for appointing his son Henrique a bishop. This oliphant and a similar one appear in the 1553 inventory of Cosimo I de’ Medici’s collection as: “two ivory horns with engraved motifs.” In the late sixteenth century, non-European objects were of interest primarily for their marvelous materials and as evidence of manufacturing skills rather than for their place of origin.
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.
