Borradaile Oliphant
- Gallery: Room 40
- Culture: Middle Byzantine
- Made in: Italy (southern)
- Date: 10thC-11thC
- Object type: oliphant
- Materials: ivory; silver
- Museum number: 1923,1205.3
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is the Borradaile Oliphant, a beautifully carved object from the Middle Byzantine period. Crafted mainly from ivory, it features two silver bands that frame decorative carvings.
Between these bands is a zone intricately carved with birds and fantastical beasts, arranged in interlacing circles. Around the mouth of the oliphant, similar creatures are carved in circular patterns. The craftsmanship showcases the skill of southern Italian artisans working in the 10th to 11th century.
This piece is made from ivory and silver, with the ivory surfaces painstakingly carved by hand. Such objects were often ceremonial or used in religious contexts, reflecting the artistic traditions of the period.
The Borradaile Oliphant was added to the collection in 1923, bequeathed by Charles Borradaile. Take a moment to appreciate the fine details and the history captured in this ancient work.
See it in person
Borradaile Oliphant is on display in Room 40 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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