A Chinese ivory Meirin, mid 20th century, depicting a…
click the photo to enlarge
A Chinese ivory Meirin, mid 20th century, depicting a traditionally attired meirin in a slightly serpentine demure pose, with coiffed inked hair and delicately rendered facial features, her hands with elegantly long fingers, and supported on a timber stand. Height 21 cm

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.
  • 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

Visually similar items

A Japanese okimono of a geisha, Meiji period, late 19th to early 20th century, the sinuous figure in softly flowing pierced and carved robes, with elegantly inked coiffed hair; upon a waisted carved stand. Height 22 cm

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

Antique carved ivory Japanese geisha figure, 21.5 cm high

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

A large Pelham puppet shop display Pinocchio, probably 1960s, An original string puppet made with handpainted moulded composite materials and timber, with felt and cotton clothing, strings to hands, feet and head and attached to a later display stand; bear

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

A Goldscheider porcelain figure of a dancing girl, Austrian, circa 1930. 47 cm high

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