Les ivoires « orientalisants » de la péninsule Ibérique : réflexions stylistiques

By comparing ivories from the Iberian Peninsula and the Near East we can discern the different modes of interchange which grew up between the two bodies of art – i.e., direct loans from the Near-Eastern repertoire, adaptations resulting from the simplification or complexification of iconographic elements, or again the creation of typically Iberian composite images. These stylistic mechanisms raise some questions about workshops. This article takes up the existing hypotheses regarding craftsmen and patrons, qualifying to some extent the place that has been attributed to the city of Cadiz. The discussion then moves on to address the identity of orientalising peninsular art with respect to other orientalising Mediterranean arts.