A Siculo-Arabic ivory pyxis, Sicily or Southern Italy, 11th/12th century

of cylindrical form, the ivory panels secured by gilt copper mounts with pointed and palmette terminals and lock plate, thin handle to top, the lid with traces of a calligraphic inscription around the edge, remains of painted and gilt ornamentation comprising birds and foliate motifs, old textile to inside

In fair condition, the ivory warped and bent, the underside with a crack and old repairs, re-hinged on the edges and consolidated, with old collection label, the mounts with losses of gilding and some oxidisation, traces of the decoration on the surface, with gilding and ink, as viewed.
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This ivory pyxis belongs within the known group of painted ivories from Sicily that can be grouped according to their form, rectangular with a pyramidal or flat lid, and cylindrical with a domed lid or as in the present example, cylindrical with a flat lid. This shape is one of the rarest known as a large section of an ivory tusk would have been hollowed out. Considering this expense, one can attribute this pyxis to noble patronage. The use of polychrome tempera colours and gilding provided a faster way of decorating such containers as compared to carvings, retaining a luxurious impression (See M. Rosser-Owen, Ivory: 8th to 17th centuries, Treasures from the Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar, 2004, no.6).

Pyxides of similar rounded form with painted designs are in a number of museum collections, including the Louvre Museum of Art, Paris (inv.no. MAO 441), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv.no. 15.107), the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (inv.no. IV. 41.03), and the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore (inv.nos. 71.310 and 71.314).