Knightly oliphants from the collection of the State Hermitage

In Tsarskoye Selo, the exhibition "Knightly oliphants from the collection of the State Hermitage" was opened. Two rarities of the 16th century are displayed in the Arsenal pavilion in Alexander Park. These are ivory oliphants (hunting horns), which are kept in the Hermitage, and were once part of the collection of the Tsarskoye Selo Arsenal.

On the bell of one of these horns there is a relief inscription IMFAMTE DOM LVIS (Infante Don Luis), below on one side is the coat of arms of Portugal, on the other is the cross of the Order of Christ and the armillary sphere (an astronomical instrument used to determine the equatorial or ecliptic coordinates of celestial bodies). The first mentions of this oliphant are found in 1646 in the book "Danish Monuments" by the physician, collector and naturalist Ole Worm.

The head of the Arsenal Florian Gilles in one of the publications reports that Don Luis was the second son of the Portuguese king Manuel I, nicknamed the Happy, and the father of Antonio Prior Cratu, who for some time was recognized as the Portuguese king.

The second oliphant, presented at the exhibition, is similar in the nature of the carving and in the images to the horn of Don Luis. In terms of stylistic features, both oliphants can be attributed to the products of the same workshop.

Ticket sales - online by session. Unsold tickets for the current date go on sale at the box office of the pavilion. Entrance for five people every 15 minutes. Guided tour with audio guide. To receive an audio guide, you must leave a deposit: 1000 rubles or an identity document (passport, driver's license, etc.).