The Salerno Ivories

Objects, Histories, Contexts



edited by Francesca Dell'Acqua, Anthony Cutler, Herbert L. Kessler, Avinoam Shalem and Gerhard Wolf

The so-called Salerno ivories comprise more than sixty carved plaques datable between the eleventh and the twelfth centuries, combining Islamic, Byzantine, Coptic, and western Christian features. They present superb craftsmanship, display numerous biblical scenes as well as portraits of saints and magnificent decorative ornaments.

In medieval times as today constituting one of the most precious and impressive treasures of the Cathedral of Salerno, they have attracted the attention of many historians and art historians, who have tried to contextualize the ivories in the medieval history of Salerno, southern Italy, and the Mediterranean. Yet, they remain enigmatic, as do the many questions concerning their date, place of production, patronage, function, and possible audience.

Accompanied with new photographs produced in a campaign of the Kunsthistorisches Institut Florenz - Max-Planck-Institut, which for the first time present the ivories' backs and sides as well as the reliefs, the volume brings together articles written by scholars with different backgrounds and perspectives on medieval art. It presents the Salerno ivories in an interdisciplinary approach and sheds new light on their important position as mirroring the visual culture of the "Mediterranean" during an the age of intense commercialism and cultural exchange.

With contributions by Pietro Baraldi, Gabriella Bernardi, Patricia Blessing, Maria Cristina Carile, Jill Caskey, Fabrizio Crivello, Anthony Cutler, Francesca Dell'Acqua, Antony Eastmond, Maria Evangelatou, Giovanni Gasbarri, Giovanni Guardia, Sarah M. Guérin, Herbert L. Kessler, Ruggero Longo, Antonio Milone, Elisabetta Scirocco, Avinoam Shalem, Francesca Tasso, Natalia B. Teteriatnikov, and Gerhard Wolf.

Gebr. Mann Verlag, Berlin 2016

368 pages, 281 color illustrations, 211 black and white illustrations
Hardcover
ISBN 978-3-7861-2730-7

Newsletter

Our Newsletter provides you with free information on events, tenders, exhibitions and recent publications from the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz.

If you would like to receive our newsletter, please enter your name and e-mail address:

*required field

Notes on the content of the newsletter and transit procedures

This letter is sent via MailChimp, where your e-mail address and name will be saved for sending the newsletter.

Once you have completed the form, you will receive a "Double-Opt-In-E-Mail," in which you are asked to confirm your registration. You can cancel your subscription to the Newsletter at any time ("Opt-out"). You will find an unsubscribe link in every Newsletter and in the Double-Opt-in-E-Mail.

You will receive detailed information about transit procedures and your withdrawal options in our privacy policy.