Description
Ivory horns, called oliphants, were made to represent the horn of St. Hubert, patron saint of hunters. They were used as hunting, drinking, or military signal horns and also as symbols of the transfer of power or property. Beginning in the 12th century, oliphants were often transformed into reliquaries and preserved in church treasuries. This example is decorated with the mixture of Byzantine, Islamic, and western motifs characteristic of the art of southern Italy at this time.
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