178

Small box in ivory, Sicily, 15th – 16th century

Height x width x depth: 4 x 9 x 5.5 cm Total: 105 g
Antique small box made of elephant ivory (Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 or Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797), rectangular in shape with a hinged lid, slightly domed. Made from thin, finely carved ivory plates assembled together, it is decorated across its entire surface with floral and geometric relief motifs arranged within medallions and symmetrical frames.
The metal elements, including handle, hinges, lock and chain, are made of wrought iron with traces of gilding.
The work is part of the tradition of southern Italy between the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, particularly in Sicily, where Islamic decorative influences persist due to intense exchanges with the Arab world.
The quality of the carving, the modular structure and the decorative style recall Mudejar and Fatimid motifs reinterpreted in a local key, bearing witness to a hybrid and cultured material culture.
In the Middle Ages, Islamic luxury goods imported from the Middle East exerted such a strong influence on Christian Europe that they inspired the creation of local works, such as caskets of this kind.
Probably intended to hold precious objects, the casket is a rare example of Mediterranean decorative art, expressing the taste for the exotic and the marvellous that characterised the courts and aristocratic collections of the time.
This lot, accompanied by a CITES certificate and expertise issued by Ce.S.Ar Centro studi archeometici, is only available for sale with shipments within the European Union. (expertise Ce.S.Ar. 2025-203)
Provenance:
Count Luigi Rigi Luperti collection.
27/01/2026 00:56:39
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€ 1.500,00 / 2.000,00
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700,00 €
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Live auction 369

SILVER ANTIQUES, IVORIES, WUNDERKAMMER - Including selected Works of Art from the Count Luigi Rigi Luperti Collection

Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli, thu 19 February 2026
SINGLE SESSION 19/02/2026 Hours 15:00
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