The Elephant on the Page

A rare autograph by Ciriaco de’ Pizzicolli d’Ancona, featuring an elephant drawing in the 15th-century Mystras manuscript Mut. gr. 144, sheds light on cultural exchange between Byzantium and Italy. The image, one of few surviving works by d’Ancona, is accompanied by Greek inscriptions that contextualize his role as a bridge between intellectual milieus in Mystras and Italy. By analyzing the elephant’s depiction within contemporary debates about virtue, this study reveals how visual and textual elements in the manuscript reflect broader cross-cultural interactions during the 1440s.

Mattiello, A. (2018). The Elephant on the Page. Cross-Cultural Interaction between Byzantium and the West, 1204–1669, 201–214. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351244954-13