The Rome or David Casket, Byzantine, late 9thC

[Druzhina]

Illustrations of The Rome or David Casket, Byzantine, 898 or 900AD
An ivory casket in the Palazzo Venezia, Rome.
This casket has had an interesting attribution history. The casket had been attributed to Armenia based on the strangeness of the lettering of part of the inscription. Later this was found to be due to repair of the casket, probably in the 17th century.
Dating and attribution:
10th Century Armenian - J Strzygowski, Byzantinische Zeitscrift, x, 1901,  pp 728-30.
10th Century Armenian - A. Venturi, Storia dell'arte italiana, II, Milan, 1902.
10th to 11th Century Armenian - Goldschmidt and Weitzmann, Die byzantinischen Elfenbeinskulpturen des X.-XIII. Jahrhunderts, 2 vols., Berlin, 1930-34. 1, no. 123.
Sicilian or south Italian 2nd half of the 12th Century - E. Robinson, "The Rome Casket," in Studies in Memory of David Talbot Rice, ed. G. Robertson and G. Henderson, Edinburgh, 1975, 11-15.
886AD Byzantine - A. Guillou, "Deux ivoires constantinopolitains datés du IXe et siècle," in Byzance et les Slaves, Mélanges Ivan Dujčev. ed. S. Dufrenne, Paris n.d. [1979], 207-09.
898 or 900AD Byzantine - A Cutler and N Oikonomides, An Imperial Byzantine Casket and Its fate at a Humanist's Hands, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Mar., 1988), pp. 77-87

Historians who have relied on attributions include:
Drawings of "Armenian" infantry on the Rome or David Casket from Byzantine Armies 886-1118 1979 by Ian Heath and Angus McBride.
Armenian infantry from Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066 1980 by Ian Heath, based on the Rome or David Casket and its attribution as Armenian.

Drawings of infantry on the Rome or David Casket from The military technology of classical Islam 1982 by D Nicolle
608A to 608C. Ivory box, A - "Philistines", B - "Goliath", C - "Goliath", The Rome Casket, late 12th century AD, Sicilian or south Italian, Palazzo di Venezia Museum, Rome.

Are there any studies of this casket later than Cutler and Oikonomides 1988?
Does anyone have larger images?

MIRROR SITE:
The Rome or David Casket, Byzantine, 898 or 900AD

Druzhina
9th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

[Techno]

9th C......Stroll on.
What tools did they use to do the actual carving in those days ?
Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Drills

[FierceKitty]

Probably much the same as they used for dentistry.....ouch.

[Matt J]

Does anyone have larger images?

I'm in Rome next weekend, I'll try and pop and take some pics.

[FierceKitty]

I'm in Rome next weekend, I'll try and pop and take some pics.

Tell them to get ready - I'll be there in about three weeks, DV.

[Druzhina]

I have found a photo of the Front of the Rome or David Casket, Byzantine, 898 or 900AD

Druzhina
9th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers