Casket with Warriors and Dancers

A rectangular casket with a domed lid, its ivory surfaces carved in low relief with figures in roundels and framed panels, bordered by rows of rosettes. Gilded copper hinges, clasps and a handle add contrast to the pale ivory.

Look closer: Small figures carved in the lower side panels, partly hidden by the metal mounts.

Artist

Unknown

Date

11th century

Medium

Elephant ivory and bone; gilded copper mounts

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

4000 × 3451 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917