Setting a group of medieval carved ivory horns in the specific artistic and historical context in which they were manufactured, used and re-used, this book presents a mine of information for the study of medieval history. The first chapters explore such technical aspects as the cutting and carving of oliphants, and also the broader issues of the morphology of ivory and its availability in the Mediterranean basin in the Middle Ages. On the basis of specific carving methods and varying vocabulary of motifs, the oliphants are organized into groups and their probable sites of production are...

the volume represents a significant contribution to the complex history of the conceptualization and pictorialization of the Prophet Muhammad in the West. It gives a rapid and though deep overview of the history of the making of an image of the Prophet Muhammad in Europe and thus reflects the whole history of the making of the image of Islam in the Latin West, from the early medieval times till the 19th century. The book also provides the reader with ready access to the most recent scholarship concerning the image of Muhammad in Europe, in the form of comprehensive footnotes provided...

One of the most magnificent medieval textiles in the Mediterranean region is the Chasuble of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was murdered by the knights of King Henry II and canonized three years later by decree of the Roman Catholic Church. According to the Cathedral of Fermo, which holds the chasuble, the embroidered blue silk vestment was donated to Fermo by Bishop Presbitero in the twelfth century. But despite its importance, its outstanding preservation, and the presence of Arabic inscriptions, the chasuble has never been the subject of a comprehensive study.
With The...

This issue examines the legacy of Nazi-looted art in light of the 2012 discovery of the famous Hildebrand Gurlitt collection of stolen artwork in Germany. When the German government declassified the case almost two years later, the resulting scandal raised fundamental questions about the role of art dealers in the Third Reich, the mechanics of the Nazi black market for artwork, the shortcomings of postwar denazification, the failure of courts and governments to adjudicate stolen artwork claims, and the unwillingness of museums to determine the provenance of thousands of looted pieces of art....