My buddy calls me up to come to his place of work and to say the least WOW!!! 80 inches in length and around 75lbs. Probably would have weighed close to 100 if not carved.

Mike
















Ivory end cap Know what it says???

Incredible......just incredible on so many levels.

Beautiful work on an impressive tusk. Wow!

Do you know the history?

Very nice.

The bottom character loosely translates to "light" but most likely that is an artist's stamp. You see it often in Chinese art.

The most impressive one of these carvings I ever saw was at Epcot center in Florida back when they first opened in the 80's. The China exhibit had the second largest "patience ball" (a carved circle within a circle, within a circle for a total of 29 layers). and the stand was a full carved tusk far more intricate than that one. Amazing work!!

To each his own, but I would have never done that to an elephant tusk that I had hunted.
They are truly magnificent just like they are.

Whats the story behind the tusk?
Im with Cecil I would rather have just the tusk with no carving.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic....0/ivory/christy-text


This month National Geographic has an article "Blood Ivory" if you click on the link and go to the photo gallery, there are various photos of people carving the ivory and the finished pieces.

Yes, if you want to really see detailed ivory carving, look at this month's National Geographic. the lead magazine article is "Blood Ivory", as Kathi indicates above.

Amazing!

The tusk is impressive. That said, I cannot help but be irritated. The lion's share of the elephant poaching today is driven by the demand for ivory in the Far East. Something like this just reminds me of the three poached elephant carcasses that we found on the last hunt in Zimbabwe. All with half their faces removed just for the tusks while the rest of the elephant was left to rot. Undoubtedly all killed to become some item of home decor for some Chinese family.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
The tusk is impressive. That said, I cannot help but be IRRITATED. The lion's share of the elephant poaching today is driven by the demand for ivory in the Far East. Something like this just reminds me of the three poached elephant carcasses that we found on the last hunt in Zimbabwe. All with half their faces removed just for the tusks while the rest of the elephant was left to rot. Undoubtedly all killed to become some item of home decor for some Chinese family.

Ditto

The ivory was from 1905.

Mike

The ivory is from 1905.

Mike

The ivory is from 1905.

Mike

Ivory may be old . . . but so is the consumer demand that is fueling the increasing poaching problem. I am not trying to cast any aspersions on this carving, simply offering the observation that it is artwork like this that continues to fuel the current poaching in Africa.

Mike I understand fully. I know personally for PVT's concession was hit by poachers last year.

Mike

If you have occasion to visit San Francisco's "chinatown", you will find elaborate curio shops which will have a few pieces of carved ivory for sale on the floor. If you inquire, you may be taken upstairs where the entire floor is a vast array of carved ivory of every imaginable size and shape, held behind locked doors. It is all "legal" pre-ban ivory. It is an incredible sight and completely unknown to the general public - they don't like the tree-huggers/PETA folks either - and it is all for sale at the right price.

And yes, this is known to the appropriate state and federal enforcement agencies.

Mike that was very nice, but I was hoping from the headline that it was Jennifer Anniston....just sayin....

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:
Mike that was very nice, but I was hoping from the headline that it was Jennifer Anniston....just sayin....

I don't think Cheri would be very happy about that.

The translation is either "true light" or "real light". One beautiful tooth!

Your thread title is very decieving. I got to sit next to a supermodel - ( no kidding really, a NYC name ) from Windoek to Frankfort. I was thinking you were her boyfriend........

100 year old beauty! I always appreciate fine art especially from an era gone by. As for todays poaching issues it is always easy to sit and throw stones. Problem starts in Africa and that is where it needs to be stopped. Yes we need to educate and decrease the demand overall. That also includes legitimate hunting in some areas. The problem is too much corruption and greed. We always target the lowest rung on the ladder. That of course needs to be done but we need to follow the money right up the food chain. It is the buyers and sellers meaning the organizers and brokers who need to be destroyed. Just like the narcotic and arms dealers. Too much money changing hands to use conventional methods. Time to get millitant.

Beautiful execution and craftsmanship...true art. That tusk is almost as wonderful now as it was before they got their hands on it.