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Ivory Box with Scenes of Adam and Eve
1000–1100s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
Scenes from the Old Testament stories of Adam and Eve and their children, Cain and Abel, decorate this box, which may have been made to contain jewelry or small valuables. On its lid two plaques depict the creation of Adam and the creation of Eve from Adam’s rib. Two further plaques depict Cain slaying Abel: Cain throws a stone in the direction of Abel, who is hit by stones in the hip, chest, and head.
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Details
- Title: Ivory Box with Scenes of Adam and Eve
- Date Created: 1000–1100s
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 14.3 x 46.7 x 20.3 cm (5 5/8 x 18 3/8 x 8 in.)
- Provenance: Monsignor Béthune, Ghent, (Lucien Demotte, Paris, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Ivory
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1924.747
- Medium: ivory, wood
- Inscriptions: Greek inscriptions are included in each plaque.
- Fun Fact: Carved out of imported ivory by skilled craftsmen, boxes such as these were used by Byzantine elites to store luxury goods such as jewelry.
- Department: Medieval Art
- Culture: Byzantium, Constantinople, Byzantine period
- Credit Line: Gift of W. G. Mather, F. F. Prentiss, John L. Severance, J. H. Wade
- Collection: MED - Byzantine
- Accession Number: 1924.747
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