Ivory in the Transnational Context

 Ivory in the Transnational Context 


Rectangular Box with Carved Figural Decoration

Qing Dynasty

second half of 19th century

1895.287.A-I

 


Seated Virgin

Emilia/Italy, Europe

17th century

1922.79

 



The Virgin and Child

c. 1325-1350

Ile-de-France, Europe

1931.33

 



Oliphant, Trumpet made from elephant’s tusk

Elephant ivory trumpet with decorative knobs and engravings

woodwind

Loanda, Southwest Coast, Angola

 

Following Professor Suzanne Blier’s focus on ivory as a material emblematic of encounter, I decided to think through the international circulation and appropriation of ivory as indicative of nascent imperial trade networks that engendered contact. Ranging from domestic tools to liturgical and devotional objects, ivory was malleably in its conceptual and symbolic deployment, but also in its literal form. The oliphant or trumpet made from elephant’s tusk maintains the organic shape of the elephant tusks while adding minimal decorative bands and engravings to embellish the surface. As Blier note, the oliphants have a long and diverse utilitarian and ritual history that make them interesting objects of study. I situate this object as the anchor of my inquiry into transnational trade networks not only of the Early Modern period, but the preceding and following periods as defined by constant negotiation of geography, culture, and empire.

 

Prior to the early modern period, the majority of ivory used in Europe was sourced from African Savannah elephants rather than the Indian subcontinent.[1] The ivory trade of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries was related to international networks of textile trade between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Thus, ivory became implemented in fashion, decorative, and spiritual objects. The European statuettes of the Virgin and Child, often associated with purity, was often wrought in ivory for the connotation of the material in that context indicated the material counterpart to narratives of purity in the Medieval European imagination. Two works in the Harvard Art Museums collection, the French rendition of The Virgin and Child and the Italian Seated Virgin represent the continued impact of early trade networks on art and cultural production internationally. The Virgin and Child created in the late Medieval period represents the beginnings of ivory carving in Europe while the Seated Virgin, created in the 17th century, represents the sustainment of the tradition during the modern ages. In Europe, ivory took on a decorative and ornamental form, but was also significant in the material workings of liturgical and devotional devices. The vast spread of ivory materials even reached China as seen in the Rectangular Box with Figural Decoration from the Qing Dynasty. Although the box was crafted in the latter half of the nineteenth century, it still represents a shift in sourcing of ivory in the lineage of Chinese dynasty. Prior to the Qing Dynasty, the sourcing of ivory had moved from Chinese elephants to tusks derived from African elephants and traded by Arab traders.[2] The Rectangular Box exhibits fine craftsmanship and continued engagement with early trade networks. All four objects demonstrate the formation of international trade works during the early stages of empire building. The elephant tusk oliphant in the Peabody collection is a part of a larger collection of ivory objects. The ivory objects in the Harvard Art Museums collection represent a fascination of with the preciousness of ivory and the trade networks that established the periodic flourishing of ivory object. 

 

 


[1] https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/goiv/hd_goiv.htm

[2] https://www.britannica.com/art/ivory-carving/East-Asian-carving

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