Elephants and ivory in China and Spain / John Beusterien, Stephen West.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Beusterien, John, author.

West, Stephen H., author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in the global Middle Ages, 2632-3427.

Cambridge elements. Elements in the global Middle Ages, 2632-3427

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Elephants--China.

Elephants.

Ivory industry--China--History--To 1500.

Ivory industry.

Elephants--Spain.

Ivory industry--Spain--History--To 1500.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (103 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

The Element provides a global history of ivory and elephants, acknowledging the individuality and dignity of the elephants that provided that ivory. Sections on China include the first translations of texts about the cultural importance of elephants and ivory in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and an examination of an ivory stave (huban 笏板), crafted from an Asian elephant tusk (Elephas maximus), carried by officials in court and other formal rituals. Sections on Spain examine the value of ivory during the reign of King Alfonso X of Castille (1221-1284) and the Virxe Abrideira (ca. 1260-1275), an ivory Virgin and Child statuette owned by Queen Violante of Aragon (1236-1301), crafted from an African elephant tusk (Loxodonta africana). The Element concludes by offering a pedagogy from a comparative literature perspective about Sunjata (c.1226), an epic from the Mali empire in West Africa, an important source for thirteenth-century global ivory markets.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 10 Jan 2025).

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781009187435

1009187430

9781009187442

1009187449

9781009172578

1009172573