This beautifully decorated medieval ivory box is known as the Pyxis of al-Mughira. What is a pyxis?

This video defines the term pyxis and discusses its function and material. This specific pyxis was created in the 10th century in medieval Iberia (Spain and Portugal) when it was known as al-Andalus. Boxes like these were often given as gifts, and this one may have been a gift for the Umayyad prince al-Mughira.

Main object: Pyxis of al-Mughira, 968 CE / AH 357, ivory, 16cm x 11.8 cm, possibly from Madinat al-Zahra in Spain. Louvre Museum, Paris.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction to the Pyxis of al-Mughira

0:15 Defining Pyxis 0:44 Pyxides in the Ancient Mediterranean

0:56 The Umayyads and the Iberian Peninsula

1:16 Luxury objects and ivory

2:02 A gift for the Umayyad Prince al-Mughira