Ivory: Did you mean...?

An exquisitely carved plaque of a supine bull. Note the black burn mark. Probably, this was part of a group which once supported an ivory tray. Neo-Assyrian period, 9th-7th centuries BCE. From Nimrud, Mesopotamia, Iraq. (The Sulaimaniya Museum...

A winged human-headed sphinx wears the double crown of Egypt. An apron hangs down on the chest with a projecting uraeus (rearing cobra) similar to those worn by Egyptian pharaohs. A striking Phoenician style. Excavated by Sir Max Mallowan...

This pyxis once had a lockable lid and was perhaps used to hold sacramental bread. Its carvings refer to the Biblical tale of Daniel in the lions' den. Byzantine, 5th or early 6th century CE. From modern-day Egypt or Syria. (The British Museum...

A woman looking out of a balustraded window was a popular theme in Phoenician art. This is possibly related to the goddess Astarte and ritual prostitution. This piece belongs to a large collection of the so-called "Nimrud ivories." These...

Two figures sit facing each-other either side of a cartouche surmounted by two feathers. The inscription consisting of Egyptian hieroglyphs, cannot be read, the signs have been treated in a purely decorative manner by the Phoenician craftsmen...

This is one of the finest examples of the so-called "cow-and-calf" motif and is the only known to date to have been carved in the distinctive style of the "Ornate Group". On the right, a cow stands and turns her head toward her suckling calf...

This cylinder was fragmented into two or three main parts when it was found, although it was carved from one large tusk. The scene depicts an unidentified Egyptian pharaoh wearing the blue crown (khepresh; with a uraeus at the front) of Egypt...

On the left is the naked infant Horus sitting on a lotus flower with his finger in his mouth. Facing him is a winged goddess, possibly Isis, who extends a lotus flower towards him. This fine piece was originally inlaid with colored glass...

Ancient Israelite art traditions are evident especially on stamps seals, ivories from Samaria, and carvings, each with motifs connecting it to more general artistic traditions throughout the Levant. Ancient Israel, and therefore its art...

The monumental statue of Zeus at Olympia in Greece was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Created in the 430s BCE under the supervision of the master Greek sculptor Phidias, the huge ivory and gold statue was bigger even than...