Caskets Inside Out. Revisiting the Classification of ‘Siculo-Arabic’ Ivories

What is it about?

The paper reconsiders previous attempts to classify ‘Siculo-Arabic’ ivories in order to understand if and how such taxonomies correspond to concrete modes of production or workshops. The study of technical details enables the definition of processes of making. Material and visual aspects are probed through a systematic comparison based on the close study of many artefacts, thereby identifying consistent clusters that may correspond to one or more related workshop, as well as ruling out examples which cannot be directly associated with the main groups. Moreover, the traditional attribution to Southern Italy is reconsidered for some objects. The recovery of reused paper documents written in Arabic beneath the original linings of some of the caskets opens new paths of research, calling for future interdisciplinary cooperation, which may finally be able to answer longstanding questions about when and where these objects were originally made.

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Why is it important?

Ivory artefacts are often studied mainly for their visual and formal carachteristics, while technical and material aspects are generally overlooked. A fresh approach focused on materiality allows us to look at these objects with a new perspective, being able to deal with bigger issues such as patronage and production places.

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