Ivory

A History and Collectors Guide
Thames and Hudson Ltd
1987 ISBN 0-500-23505-8

Thames and Hudson writes:

More than three thousand years ago, the Old Testament records, “King Solomon made a great throne of ivory….” from which he summoned to his court ‘the navy of Tarnish, bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes, and peacocks…’

Throughout history, from the ancient civilizations to the present day, the subtle glowing color and sensual tactile surface of ivory has lent a special quality to objects as diverse as religious images and thimbles, palace furniture and paper knives. Ivory is also extraordinarily tractable—it can be sliced paper thin, sawn, carved, etched, or turned on a lathe, stained or painted—and so flexible that an ivory riding whip was once described as being ‘as finely tempered as a Toledo sword blade, and as supple as a willow switch.’

The astonishing range of this remarkable substance has, for the first time, been fully described in Ivory: A History and Collector’s Guide, illustrated with copious reproductions, many in color. A team of distinguished contributors have combined their considerable expertise to unfold the story of ivory carving, from Paleolithic Europe, through the Hellenistic and Roman worlds to the Middle Ages and right up to the twentieth century Europe. There are chapters on Europe, the Near East and India, the Far East and South East Asia, North America—and Central and South America where bone was used instead of ivory. The contributors reveal the beauties of ivory—in rich patina of antique figures or the intricacies of miniature medieval plaques—and describe the different kinds of ivory that have been used.

This unparalleled survey also includes a description of the ivory trade, an illustrated glossary, sections on collecting ivory and its care and repair, a guide to collections open to the public, a bibliography and—most notably—an invaluable detailed time chart which highlights every period in the long and exotic history of ivory.

Richly documented and superbly illustrated, Ivory: A History and Collector’s Guide is not only the definitive reference work for collectors and dealers but a sumptuous source book for students of the decorative arts, ivory carvers and all who appreciate the unique beauty and fascinating history of ivory.