Featured Ivory ? St. George

Don’t know ivory or not but amazing quality.

 

Looks like ivory. You can see the characteristic cross-hatching (schreger lines) on the base and on the horse's rump.

 

http://www.icollector.com/European-ivory-St-George-Slaying-the-Dragon_i9810044

Cool piece!

 

It's BEAUTIFUL Kard !! Very nice indeed ... Joy.

 

Great piece, as long as you're not reselling.(sigh)

 

JMHO.
with those black spots or inclusions it looks like bone to me.

 

Absolutely. And from the angle of the Schreger line intersections, you can see it is elephant ivory, so a problem if you want to sell it.

In this case the black spots are flecks of dirt. They are not spots with lines, the way canals for blood vessels appear in bone.
These spots of dirt appear especially on ivory that isn't highly polished. The slightly rougher surface is susceptible to dirt, which has accumulated even more on the base and around the hole of the dowel, where the glue is.

 

I found several identical pieces online, same wooden bases. I wonder if they were in a way mass produced? Some say European, other made in Asia.

 

Quote from @Any Jewelry: "Absolutely. And from the angle of the Schreger line intersections, you can see it is elephant ivory, so a problem if you want to sell it."



Mammoth ivory on the left, elephant ivory on the right.

 

By the way, how do you guys feel on the ivory bans, approve or disagree?
How about allow selling older pieces and a percentage of the sale price go to some animal protection organization?

 

Hi,
I find appalling that they destroy tons of fresh poached ivory every year. If they would sell the stuff it would lower the price of ivory to the point it would not be worth the poaching. I may be wrong but that is my thoughts.
greg

 

I'm absolutely for the ban. only because some people believe in the non- proven fairytale that it is an aphrodisiacum and pay horrendous prices in their limited view to animal life should be a warning. and it's as disgusting as the Japanese whale-slaughter for "scientific" purposes or the cut-off of shark fins.
or the desctruction of the buffalo population...
or wolfe and lynx hunting in the Pyrenees...

 

I saw a photograph of a dead elephant with its tusks cut off .. it sickened me and is vivid in my memory. Although I love the beautiful sculpture I loathe what it took to make it. I don't believe in destroying lovely old carvings but the slaughter has to stop .. so I believe in anything that will accomplish that ... Joy.

 

I totally agree

 

Looking at it I think there was a workshop in India making these as copies of an antique European piece sometime after the CITES-ban. European ivory carvings of this kind were more refined.
My guess would be 1970s. The CITES-ban was 1947, but was not signed or ratified by all countries at that time.

 

I hate the idea of modern poaching, or killing even more animals just for a few body parts. OTOH, wasting the sacrifice of animals killed long ago is just that - a horrible waste. I wish there were some way to sell the old stuff legally here.

The main market for the new poached ivory is Southeast Asia - too bad they haven't killed off that market. Kill off demand and poaching would all but vanish because values would plummet.

 

The main ivory markets nowadays are Vietnam and of course China.
Vietnam has introduced the ban, but the illegal market is thriving, and the country is now a hub of the international ivory trade:
https://conservationaction.co.za/re...ants-save-elephants-lucy-vigne-esmond-martin/

https://www.dw.com/en/vietnamese-go...y-trade-ahead-of-global-conference/a-36369801

We can all do our bit by not buying recently carved ivory, like those 'cute' doll-like netsuke with the big heads which still appear on the forum occasionally. There are legal alternatives.

 

For me, working with CITES authorizations, it's typically the type of piece which doesn't enter in my workshop, I'm an active financial support again the illegal trade of everything coming from endangered species as a passionate photographer of wildlife.
Working on antique works of art(I use only legally acquired material for repairs) is not a problem because at this time they can't realise the damage they cause for the future, and it's a respect to the craftmanship of our ancesters, but all actual illegal trade need to be shot as they make with animals.