Advice on carbon dating

I need advice on the best approach for carbon dating my side blown horn from Benin

 

For the purpose of dating? Please tell us from whom you acquired it and what you were told about it. To my eye, it appears to be cast resin with artificially-applied aging. Compare it, for instance, to this example in the Brooklyn Museum. Ivory tusk. 18th or 19th century.



https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...e-Blown_Horn_with_Figurative_Base_Oko_(2).jpg

Debora

 

No need to imho. Your item looks like a resin replica to me.

 

Sniped.
But at least Adam has two opinions now.

 

Great minds and all that.

Debora

 

Please see 2nd picture, it is indeed real I just want to get it carbon dated

 

I reviewed the second photograph before I posted my opinion.

Debora

 

=

 

Ditto.

Just because something is shaped like a tusk, doesn't mean it is. That is why it is called a replica, it replicates an original.

 

I agree that it does not look like actual ivory. If you want to pursue dating, you might start by contacting a museum or university in your area that has an archeological department. Few will perform it themselves, but they might be able to point you to a lab that provides the service.

 

Here are some references that are helpful in identifying ivory -

https://cites.org/sites/default/fil...e_for_Ivory_and_Ivory_Substitutes_ENGLISH.pdf

https://www.conservation-wiki.com/w/images/5/5a/Hornbeck_ivory_id_reg_article_R_2016.pdf

https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Ivory-genuine-fake--confusing

http://stoneplus.cst.cmich.edu/zoogems/ivory.html

 

Ok thanks for that, do you know if they would only take samples or whole horn?

 

I believe that labs will only take samples, not an entire object, but you would have to find and ask each lab what their practice is.

The first step would be to confirm it is actually ivory, and worth the trouble and expense of dating. From your photos, the surfaces look artificial and do not show characteristic signs of age. I cannot see any Schreger lines, which are a distinctive and diagnostic feature of elephant ivory. You can find an explanation of Schreger lines and photos of them in the references I posted.

But sometimes it can be difficult to make positive identifications based on photos alone.

There is the possibility that the horn is ivory but, if so, it looks like a comparatively recent creation and probably made for sale rather than an antique artifact.

You should be mindful of the legal restrictions that apply to any sale of elephant ivory. Assuming you are in the U.S. -
https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/What Can I Do With My Ivory_ (1).pdf

 

I don't see any ivory to date. If it's in the USA and is actual ivory, selling it will be difficult at best. If it's not ivory you're far better off.

 

No Schreger lines and no pinprick spots that would indicate bone. I'm 75 and seen a lot of real ivory in my days as an antique store owner and I see resin. Online photos are not the way to get an ID. You need to take it to a museum. If it is ivory, I'm not sure what you need carbon dating for. All carbon dating does is tell you how old the object is. I'm aware that there are artisans in other countries using mammoth ivory to make artifacts. Carbon dating would make it thousands of years old, but the object might have been carved yesterday. What you want is an expert on this type of object telling you the value.