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What were chryselephantine statues in ancient Greece made from?
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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.
Chryselephantine statues in ancient Greece were a type of figural sculpture constructed using a combination of two primary materials: ivory and gold.12
The term itself is derived from the Greek words chrysos, meaning gold, and elephantinos, meaning ivory. In these works, the figures' flesh was crafted from ivory, while their drapery and adornments were fashioned from gold. These statues were frequently colossal in scale and served as significant cult figures within major temples, such as the famous depictions of Athena in the Parthenon and Zeus at Olympia, both created by the sculptor Phidias.12