FRENCH LANGUAGE Since ancient times, carnelian, lapis lazuli, ebony and ivory have circulated along the trade routes, revealing a taste for rare and precious materials. During the Renaissance in Europe, amateurs and princes collected these curiosities in their cabinets, while the crowds became enthusiastic about exotic animals, ostriches, rhinoceroses, elephants and giraffes, which became models for artists. While objects from China, Japan or even the "Indies" respond to the European elite's infatuation with other lands, they also reveal the interplay of influences and artistic
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