SICILY, 12TH CENTURY

Details

A SICULO-ARABIC GILT COPPER MOUNTED IVORY CASKET
Sicily, 12th century
Of rectangular form with hinged coffered lid on flattened round feet, the body made of flat sheets of ivory incised with concentric red and black roundels in a few places, the mounts of gilt copper with pointed foliate terminals, original lock plate, upper and side handles in similar technique, the iron key with gold damascened arabesques, the interior with traces of glue from the attachment of the cloth lining, occasional ivory fixing pins, good patination, occasional chipping, generally good condition
7 1/8 x 4¾ x 4½in. (18 x 12 x 11.4cm.)

Special notice

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Lot Essay

A very similar casket, also attributed to Sicily, was exhibited in 1985 (The Unity of Islam, exhibition catalogue, London and Riyadh, 1985, no.174, pp.196-7). With slightly different proportions, that shared with the present example the use of concentric drilled roundels filled with coloured red or black composition at least partly to cover the ends of small ivory pegs linking the panels. Here the centre of each large panel on the cover has two roundels purely for decoration, but the others serve a secondary function of concealment. Other examples are known of this shape, some of which, like the cylindrical boxes in the previous lot, are painted. A notable Spanish example, showing the geographical spread of such pieces, with Arabic inscription around the cover, is in the Instituto Valencia de Don Juan, Madrid (Higuera, Teresa Pérez: Objetos-e Imangines de al-Andalus, Madrid, n.d., p.30). That example has similar mounts to those found here, but different proportions with a higher gabled cover.

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