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- Introduction
Ivoiy comes from the tusks or upper incisor teeth that emerge from the skull of the pachyderm (elephant). Primarily composed of calcium phosphate, tusks increase in width and length as they grow, the oldest part tapering to the end. Ivory is formed from a series of deposits delivered through the elephant�s nutritional system to the tusk, embedded in the animal�s jawbone. The interior of the tusk has a pulp cavity, or hollow area, at its base that is almost as wide as the tusk itself. This cavity diminishes to a point about halfway down the tusk where the nerve canal continues to the tip. The structure of a tusk consists of a multitude of miniature tubes curving clockwise and anti-clockwise towards the centre producing a pattern of lozenges. When ivory is cut horizontally the nerve canal reveals itself as a minute hole. This criss-cross pattern or grain is unique to elephant ivory. Ivory can vary from white to cream, and yellow to brown according to the species, its diet, history and environment. The colour of carved ivory can also be affected by exposure to sunlight.
The vast elephant herds of Africa and Asia diminished drastically due to the demand of ivory carving for fundamental, ornamental and occasional objects for import and export. From 1900 to 1989, the African elephant population dropped from over ten million to just 600,000. Today less then 500,000 African elephants survive and there are only about 50,000 Asian elephants. The Seventh Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in September, 1989 approved a world-wide ivory ban, which caused the price of ivory to plummet. Japan, the last great consumer market for ivory, still wishes to recommence trading in ivory. In 1997 a controlled experiment was tried to sell off legally acquired ivory from African countries to Japan, which only resulted in poachers starting up their old ways.
The international ivory ban was indeed necessary to ensure the survival of the elephant; however, it also virtually put an end to the art of ivory carving. As a result it is more important than ever to have a meaningful record not only of the accomplishments of past ivory carvers but also the realization that this art form was the cause for endangering the elephant species. Ivory carving has a long and distinguished tradition in a number of countries, in particular China and even though it is now outlawed art, we should not forget or hide away some of the most beautiful sculptures of the past. Throughout history, ivory has been considered a precious and rare substance, fit for kings and the nobility.
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