Top Panel of a Box
Unknown Artist
ca. 1320–40
Medium
Elephant ivory
Dimensions
Overall: 3 7/8 x 6 15/16 x 1/4 in. (9.8 x 17.6 x 0.7 cm)
Classification
Ivories-Elephant
Culture
French
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.256
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate top panel from a box, crafted from elephant ivory around 1320–40 in France, offers a glimpse into the refined world of medieval secular art. Measuring just under 4 by 7 inches and a mere quarter-inch thick, it showcases a lively ensemble of men and women amid musical instruments and horses—likely evoking courtly festivities, dances, or hunts. Such panels adorned the lids of small luxury boxes, like those for mirrors or jewels, blending everyday elegance with artistic virtuosity. Elephant ivory was a prized medium in Gothic-era France, valued for its creamy translucency and carva...