Antique Japanese ivory & bronze seated figure seated man…
click the photo to enlarge
Antique Japanese ivory & bronze seated figure seated man smoking a pipe, ivory head and limbs with bronzed draped traditional clothing, signed to base, on carved and fitted wooden stand, height 17c

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.

    The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.

    It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
  • Ivory - Ivory is a hard white material that comes from the tusks of elephants, mammoth, walrus and boar, or from the teeth of hippopotamus and whales. The ivory from the African elephant is the most prized source of ivory. Although the mammoth is extinct, tusks are still being unearthed in Russia and offered for sale.

    Ivory has been used since the earliest times as a material for sculpture of small items, both in Europe and the east, principally China and Japan.

    In Asia ivory has been carved for netsuke, seals, okimono, card cases, fan supports, animals and other figures and even as carved tusks.

    In the last 200 years in Europe ivory has been used to carve figures, for elaborate tankards, snuff boxes, cane handles, embroidery and sewing accessories, in jewellery and as inlay on furniture. Its more practical uses include being used for billiard balls, buttons, and a veneers on the top of piano keys.

    The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to Due to the decline in elephant populations because of the trade in ivory, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in 1975, and in January 1990, the African elephant was similarly listed. Under Appendix One, international trade in Asian or African elephant ivory between member countries is forbidden. Unlike trade in elephant tusks, trade in mammoth tusks is legal.

    Since the invention of plastics, there have been many attempts to create an artificial ivory

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

Heubach Koppelsdorf 275 12/0 German 14 inch doll with bisque head, blue sleeping eyes, open mouth, four upper teeth, cloth body, composition hands & feet, wearing original clothes, bonnet and shoes

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A Royal Doulton figurine, Boy from Williamsburg by Peggy Davies HN2183, 14 cm high

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

A Crown Staffordshire wind in the Willows handpainted figurine of Mole

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Antique Japanese samurai ivory netsuke, C1920. Signed to base, height 5 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.