Description

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Oliphants are wind instruments from the Western, Byzantine, or Islamic cultures carved from elephant tusks, and often they are richly decorated with wild and fantastic beasts. This two-volume book offers a complete overview of all preserved high medieval oliphants and features extensive documentation and photographs. It discusses the history of ivory carvings as well as the characteristics of the material, the manufacturing technique, style categories, and the original use, including magical associations. The sound of the instruments, which can be heard on the included audio CD, is also discussed. This critical appraisal focuses on the Mediterranean as a place of cultural transfer between Orient and Occident and sheds a light on the traditions and aesthetics of Romanic art.

About the Author

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Avinoam Shalem is the Riggio Professor for Art History at Columbia University New York and a fellow at the Art History Institute of Florence and the Max Planck Institute. He lives in New York City.