IVORY CARVINGS 77 



the Congo region in recent years, and this and other ivory- 

 work has received notable encouragement from the Belgian 

 Government. Realizing that the high price of ivory was an 

 insurmountable obstacle for many poor artists the Govern- 

 ment agreed to furnish them the material at cost price and 

 also to give them credit for four years, so that they could be 

 practically assured that they would have received the price 

 of their art works before they would be called on to pay for 

 the material.* 



Among the products of Belgian art, one of the finest is the 

 "Sphinx" of Christian van der Stappen, first exhibited in 

 the International Exhibition at Antwerp in 1894, where a 

 large number of excellent ivory carvings were shown, nota- 

 bly by Belgian artists, the revival of the art in Belgium being 

 principally due to the liberal action of the Government, under 

 the personal influence of King Leopold II, in facilitating 

 the task of the carvers by placing at their disposal a con- 

 siderable quantity of Congo ivory. Van der Stappen's 

 "Sphinx" is also one of the most successful efforts to revive 

 and realize the ancient Greek chryselephantine sculpture, the 

 effect of the ivory being most skilfully and artistically en- 

 hanced by the gold and silver employed in the helmet and 

 cuirass of the bust. At the same time the mysterious ele- 

 ment is powerfully brought out in the intent expression of 

 the face, marked with that deep-seated melancholy insepa- 

 rable from a knowledge of the enigma of the universe, the 

 great "world riddle." 



Owing to the importance of the modern Belgian School 

 of ivory carving, the following fairly complete list of the 

 more noteworthy works by Belgian artists is here given. 

 It will be seen that almost all the various forms of ivory 

 carving are represented among the productions. 



*Baron A. de Haulleville "Le Musee du Congo Beige & Tervueren"; in "La Revue Con- 

 golaise," le Annce, No. 2, pp. 208-225; 1910. 



