The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 21, 2025

The So-called Horn of Saint Blaise

1100–1200
ivory
Overall: 12 cm (4 3/4 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1930.740
Location: 106C Medieval Treasury

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).
  • W. M. M. “The Acquisition of Six Objects from the Guelph Treasure for the Cleveland Museum of Art.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 9 (November 1930): 165–178, 183. Mentioned: p. 168-169; reproduced: p. 174 www.jstor.org
    W. M. M. “The Acquisition of Six Objects from the Guelph Treasure for the Cleveland Museum of Art: Foreword.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 17, no. 9 (November 1930): 163–165. Mentioned: p. 163-165 www.jstor.org
    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=21 May 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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