Begram ivories [SEP] material used
Begram ivories
The Begram ivories are a group of over a thousand decorative plaques, small figures and inlays, carved from ivory and bone, and formerly attached to wooden furniture, that were excavated in the 1930s in Bagram (Begram), Afghanistan. They are rare and important exemplars of Kushan art of the 1st or 2nd centuries CE, attesting to the cosmopolitan tastes and patronage of local dynasts, the sophistication of contemporary craftsmanship, and to the ancient trade in luxury goods.
History.
The ancient city of Kapisa
Museum.
- University of Melbourne, Australia: 3 pieces excavated by Mallowan.
- The California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco has a group of pieces.
Catalogues.
The Nimrud Ivories are being published in a series of scholarly catalogues. Many of these are available free online from the British Institute for the Study of Iraq (BISI): links here.
See also.
- Nimrud lens
- Begram ivories
External links.
- Nimrud ivories on the British Museum Flickr