Tusk Fragment with the Ascension

Unknown

720–970 Radiocarbon date, 95% probability · Ivory; carved · Islamic Art

Ivory was so highly valued in Byzantium that emperors received it in tribute. Here, a fragment of a tusk, originally carved in the round, displays one of the most important Byzantine images, the Ascension of Christ into Heaven (Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11).

Artist: Unknown
Date: 720–970 Radiocarbon date, 95% probability
Medium: Ivory; carved
Department: Islamic Art
Credit line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

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