IVORY 



Oldest Sample. 



Fossil Ivory. 



Ivory- 

 Carving. 



Turnery. 



Combs. 



Mats. 

 Inlaying. 



Trade. 



Exports. 



INDIAN USES AND TRADE 



stored for a considerable time, until it has lost the oil or gelatine that 

 gives elasticity to " green ivory." All the finer and more expensive ivory 

 carvings are, as a rule, done on the best African ivory ; and even in inlaying, 

 the hair lines are invariably in the bluish-white African article, the larger 

 patches being in the dull chalky Indian quality. For the miscroscopic 

 structure of ivory, consult Hanausek (Micro. Tech. Prod. (Winton and 

 Barber, transl.), 1907, 422-8). 



Perhaps one of the oldest samples of Indian ivory on record is that 

 mentioned by Stein (Ancient Khotan, 1907, 209, 222, pi. xlviii). This was 

 found in the Khotan oasis and dates from about the 8th century. As a 

 curiosity, it may be mentioned that in the armouries of the Indian princes a 

 large number of daggers will be found, the hafts of which are made of fossil 

 or of walrus ivories. Some of these weapons have often histories that carry 

 them back for one or more centuries ; hence the traffic in conveying these 

 special forms of ivory from Siberia or even from Greenland to India, mostly 

 by tedious land routes, must have existed long anterior to the present 

 methods and channels of commerce. For the microscopic appearances of 

 the various fossil and other ivories, confer with Hanausek (I.e. 426-9). 



Centres of Ivory Carving, etc. There are four localities in India 

 and one in Burma that may be spoken of as specially noted for their 

 artistic ivories. These are Delhi in the Panjab, Murshidabad in Bengal, 

 Mysore and Travancore in Madras, and Moulmein in Burma. Here and 

 there all over the country ivory carving and ivory turnery are met with, 

 but the five localities named produce by far the best work. The chief 

 artistic workers in India are Hindus. 



Ivory Turnery, though less artistic, is even more widespread than 

 carving : in fact, most towns have a few workers of this class. Small 

 articles are made by them, such as bracelets (bangles), chessmen, antimony 

 boxes, etc, etc. Some of the better known localities are Agra, Alwar, 

 Bikanir, Jodhpur (more especially Pali), Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, 

 Tippera, Tirupati, Godavari, etc. With the Sikh the use of a comb is 

 almost a religious observance. It is no wonder, therefore, that in Amritsar 

 and other towns of the Panjab, ivory combs of great beauty are to be had. 

 Here and there fabulous sums are expended on special chairs, howdohs 

 and thrones made of ivory, or rather veneered with ivory ; so also in the 

 purchase of mats and fans woven by threads cut from the tusk. Ivory 

 mats are often made at Delhi, Bharatpur, Murshidabad, Tippera, etc. 



Ivory Inlaying. In many parts of India wood is inlaid with ivory, 

 but there are three localities that are specially noted for the superiority 

 of this class of work. These are Mysore in South India, Hoshiarpur 

 in the Panjab, and Monghyr in Bengal. Bone is sometimes used as an 

 inferior substitute for ivory in inlaying. 



Trade in Ivory. The EXPORTS of Ivory (raw and manufactured) 

 from India appear to have been declining for some years past. In 1876-7 

 they were valued at Rs. 55,582 ; in 1886-7 at Rs. 48,311 ; in 1896-7 

 at Rs. 60,501 ; but for the years 1901-7 have been Rs. 27,740 in 

 1901-2 ; Rs. 27,827 in 1902-3 ; Rs. 26,795 in 1903-4 ; Rs. 26,956 in 

 1904-5 ; Rs. 44,655 in 1905-6 ; and Rs. 49,583 in 1906-7. The IMPORTS, 

 on the other hand, seem to fluctuate very greatly, but on the whole 

 the supply of raw ivory seems to be declining and manufactures in- 

 creasing. Thus the raw and manufactured ivory imported in 1876-7 were 

 valued at Rs. 24,55,637 (raw accounting for Rs. 24,15,514) ; in 1886-7 



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