Free Shipping on every order. Save 10% Join to our Members Club Getnyour free Antique guide
 
History of Art in Ivory
Education Center

As ivory has the potential to be bleached, inlaid and carved, it has always been a highly prized raw material since man populated the Earth. Humans took to expression in the form of paintings and carving, ivory has been the most preferred medium of expression. As far as archeological remains that have been studied can shed light on the age of the ivory carvings actually go back to the Paleolithic Age when the Cro-Magnon man carved mammoth tusks. Some figurines have been dated to be 20,000 years old which were found by Russian archeologists in 2005. They were identified as art objects which were carved on mammoth ivory plaques and featured large mammals, animals and women. Archeologists later identified the artifacts of religious significance. Even the pits were covered with mammoth ivory tusks which highlighted the importance of mammoth ivory in the life of Cro-Magnon men.

The famed ‘Venus of Lespugue’ was carved by a caveman in the region of France about 50,000 years ago. Minerals tinted her body blue-green but the simple carving and designs holds fascination even today. Even in the Greek and Roman civilizations utilized a huge amount of mammoth and elephant ivory to carve sculptures, precious religious objects and art pieces.

China was using ivory in huge qualities since 2500 BC and crafted both exquisite art pieces and utility goods. They also traded ivory with the western world even in the 1st. century A.D. The British used a lot of ivory during the Opium trade while the Buddhist cultures in South East Asia like Burma, Cambodia and Thailand domesticated elephants and used a considerable amount of ivory for crafting seals and art pieces of religious significance.

In ancient Philippines, ivory was also used to craft the facial features and hands of religious figures and Catholic icon. Knife handles, dagger and sword handles and a variety of inlay work was also done with ivory. The Vikings, Swedish and Russians have used ivory harpoons and knife handles, carved, inlaid and hollowed out to be lined with precious metals for greater strength and durability. Ivory was also known to be mixed in herbal medications as an antidote to poison.

With age, ivory darkens from milky white to yellow and then brown, it takes hundreds of years to get that that blue tinge much sought after by the artists. For preservation, the ivory should be kept a little damp but temperature change or drying gets it dried up and splintered very fast.

Every country and civilization has a huge collection of ivory artefacts belonging to different periods as it has been a useful and highly valuable commodity for eons. Today, Mammoth ivory and marine ivory are legal and fulfil the demands of curators and collectors all over the world.

Browse our Mammoth ivory collection - Mammoth ivory figurines, Mammoth ivory tusks, Mammoth Ivory Netsukes.


 


IvoryAndArt Resources

Happy New Year - Year of the Dragon 2012!

Amongst all the Chinese signs, Dragon is the best year to be born in. Endowed with natural good luck and strength, these individuals are well liked and respected by all. The Dragon is a perfectionist, detailed and very enthusiastic. According to the legends of China, the Dragon holds mystic powers of flying to the Heavens and has the ability to swim in the sea, making it sound invincible.

The mystical Dragon is ranked high as a noble, in the hierarchy of Chinese Zodiac animals. A natural born leader, Dragon is perfect as a child and a responsible adult.

The mystical Dragon is ranked high as a noble, in the hierarchy of Chinese Zodiac animals. A natural born leader, Dragon is perfect as a child and a responsible adult. Amongst all the Chinese signs, Dragon is the best year to be born in. Endowed with natural good luck and strength, these individuals are well liked and respected by all.
Read all article about YEAR Of The Dragon

.

Browse our beautifully Zodiac Collection

Mammoth ivory, Elephant Ivory - real or fake?

There is always a fear that the ivory sculpture that you bought might turn out to be a fake, because as a layman you may not be able to differentiate between a clever replicas and real ivory. However, with experience in this field and handling nearly all types of ivory, it becomes easy to differentiate just by seeing it.

Even though pure ivory can be of various quality and types, the fake ivory is made from resins. The powder that is left after sawing/carving ivory or remnants from bone sculptures are not wasted but all added to resins, put into molds.

Mammoth ivory tusk

The sculptures are then cleaned and then dipped in dark hued stains that give them the brownish tinge. There is always a difference in weight between a resin ivory and real ivory as real ivory is very heavy...Read all article about your Mammoth Ivory fake or real?

Browse our beautifully Mammoth Ivory Collection

IvoryAndArt IvoryAndArt