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Lot Essay
It has been suggested by Dalton (Ivory Carvings of the Christian Era, London, 1909, pp. 74-6) that the ornamentation of draughtspieces, such as the one offered in the present lot, was influenced by contemporary 12th century sculpure, mosaics and illuminated manuscripts. The subject matter chosen for the pieces depended predominantly on the tastes of the wealthy patrons who commissioned them but, as with the present lot, many depicted images of animals, as well as, fantastical beasts and scenes from mythology