Islamic Ivories

The history of ivory carving is well represented in the collection of the Instituto Valencia de Don Juan in Madrid, with works ranging from the Caliphate period to the 16th century. One of the Institute's most important pieces of Arab origin, made in the Caliphate workshops of Medina Azahara, is the small rectangular chest from the 10th century, the work of the circle of the important master Halaf, and several flat-topped jars of Sicilian manufacture from the 13th century. The pieces of Christian Gothic ivories are a magnificent example for a better understanding of the eboraria during the Late Middle Ages, as it contains both Hispanic and foreign models, including a Romanesque chest from the Rhine area and a French Gothic triptych.