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What types of ivory objects were made in India?
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ivory carving
Kinugumiut Inupiat incised walrus ivory shaman's figure, c. 1890; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.
Although ivory has been a plentiful and historically significant material in India for millennia, relatively few carved pieces have survived the climate. Based on extant artifacts and historical records, Indian ivory carvers produced a variety of objects, including:12
- Figurative Sculpture: Hindu and Buddhist figures carved in the round.1
- Furniture and Furnishings: Fragments of chairs and footstools, as well as magnificent throne legs—notably 13th-century examples carved in the shape of griffins with elephant heads.2
- Containers: Various boxes and caskets, ranging from small utilitarian boxes to profusely decorated caskets.12
- Specialized Items: Historical examples include the so-called Charlemagne chessman, dating to approximately the 8th century.2
Ancient traditions of ivory craftsmanship remained vital in southern India, where exquisite objects continued to be produced for temples and other uses well into the modern era.2