- Period
- Romanesque
- Date
- 1100–1150
- Collection
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Object no.
- 1975.258
Dragon's Head
Unknown maker, 1100–1150
Cleveland Museum of Art · Gift of Thomas P. Miller in memory of James J. Rorimer · Public domain
- Maker
- Unknown maker
- Date
- 1100–1150
- Medium
- walrus ivory
- Dimensions
- Overall: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
- Period
- Romanesque
The record
Why it matters
This exceedingly rare medieval carving, which recalls the more monumental carvings on Viking ship prows, may have been a finial for a diagonal member of a folding chair. The character of the head, the stylized acanthus leaves, and the foliage-spouting mask on the neck are characteristic of north European and Anglo-Norman Romanesque styles.