Carving of ivory into decorative or utilitarian objects.
It has flourished since prehistoric times. Most Stone Age carvings have been found in southern France, in the forms of small nude female figures and animals. A masterpiece of early Egyptian carving is an ivory statuette of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid. In China ivory carvings have been found in the tombs of the Shang dynasty (18th–12th century BC). The major artistic use of ivory in Japan was for netsukes, toggles used as fasteners on men's clothing. The early Inuit ( scrimshaw .
"An Elopement" (sometimes called "Lancelot and Guinevere"), ivory mirror ...
By courtesy of the Liverpool Museum, England