Amazing carvings. My father left behind 3 Netsuke which appear to be carved from ivory. They appear to be quite old, the best we can figure he obtained them about 1993 from an estate sale, there is no documentation. I live in California which has strict regulations regarding the ownership of ivory. I am sympathetic to the laws to end the killing of elephants for the harvest of ivory while at the same time appreciate the historical and artistic relevance of these carvings. I would entertain the idea of donating them to a museum or other reputable organization however in not sure I can legally give the away or sell them. It’s kind of like if they for some reason outlawed the ownership of marble would we destroy Michael Angelo’s sculpture of David.
You should know that 8 times out of ten people assume an object is ivory from elephants when it quite possibly is from mastodon, or mammoth, both legal, or warthog, or walrus tusk, and tagua nut is basically an exact copy of ivory but from a tree. Mammoth and mastodon ivory have crossed hatch micro lines in the cream, while elephant has singular lines. Tagua has no growth lines. I am a member of a netsuke group on FB, there are people all the time asking about objects, what they are made of, and where they are from and when they were made. 99% of the time the answer is tourist trade, worthless to any netsuke collector. You might consider taking great photos and posting them in a group that can identify them and apply a worth value.
Excellent overview thank you
Very informative and great presentation!
Amazing carvings. My father left behind 3 Netsuke which appear to be carved from ivory. They appear to be quite old, the best we can figure he obtained them about 1993 from an estate sale, there is no documentation. I live in California which has strict regulations regarding the ownership of ivory. I am sympathetic to the laws to end the killing of elephants for the harvest of ivory while at the same time appreciate the historical and artistic relevance of these carvings. I would entertain the idea of donating them to a museum or other reputable organization however in not sure I can legally give the away or sell them. It’s kind of like if they for some reason outlawed the ownership of marble would we destroy Michael Angelo’s sculpture of David.
You should know that 8 times out of ten people assume an object is ivory from elephants when it quite possibly is from mastodon, or mammoth, both legal, or warthog, or walrus tusk, and tagua nut is basically an exact copy of ivory but from a tree. Mammoth and mastodon ivory have crossed hatch micro lines in the cream, while elephant has singular lines. Tagua has no growth lines.
I am a member of a netsuke group on FB, there are people all the time asking about objects, what they are made of, and where they are from and when they were made. 99% of the time the answer is tourist trade, worthless to any netsuke collector. You might consider taking great photos and posting them in a group that can identify them and apply a worth value.