The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

The So-called Horn of Saint Blaise

The So-called Horn of Saint Blaise

1100–1200
Location: not on view

Description

This oliphant--a carved elephant tusk in the shape of a hunting horn--was likely carved in an Arab ivory workshop in South Italy or Sicily. It is masterfully shaped, with a series of six carved bands, the outer ring depicting scenes from a hunt. The earliest surviving inventory of the church of Saint Blaise from 1482-85 lists an oliphant decorated with silver rings and precious stones and known as the "Horn of Saint Blaise." By the 17th century, Saint Blaise was reputed to have used this very horn to summon the faithful to worship.
  • Treasury, Cathedral of St. Blaise, Brunswick; House of Brunswick-Lüneburg; (Goldschmidt Galleries, New York).
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 76 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 47 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 47 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 57 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 18
  • The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
  • {{cite web|title=The So-called Horn of Saint Blaise|url=false|author=|year=1100–1200|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1930.740