Ivory Carving - The EMPRESS Start Price USD 4,750.00 Current Price USD 4,750.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, November 15, 2008 End Time Monday, December 15, 2008 Location Las Vegas, NV See more about 'Ivory Carving - The EMPRESS' Description Thank you very much for considering this beautiful work of art.  We are now retired and must part with a collection of over 100 ivory carvings we have loved and taken care of for nearly 40 years.  We are very proud to offer only the very FINEST in QUALITY ivory carvings. This carving is 100% genuine AFRICAN ELEPHANT IVORY and in EXCELLENT CONDITION.  It was HAND CARVED and HAND SCRIMSHAWED and SIGNED in China by a gifted master craftsman.  It has a lovely patina that nature has chosen to bestow upon it. This carving is UNIQUE and exhibits beautiful IVORY GRAIN which is guaranteed to be clearly visible.  The ivory has been highly polished and exquisitely detailed.  The quality of the ivory, the quality of the carving and the quality of the scrimshaw work are all exceptional. This carving was legally imported into the USA. This carving can only be shipped to locations within the USA. Effective January 1, 2009 Ebay will not permit ivory to be bought or sold on Ebay! In January of 2006 Columbus (the experts in Asian art) provided an auction estimate on this piece of $8,000.  Auction estimates are conservative and typically well below appraised values. The EMPRESS This is an exquisite heavily incised solid ivory carving of the extremely beautiful Empress Zhengde dressed in a 19th century formal court dragon robes from the Qing Dynasty.  She was the Empress of the Ming Emperor Zhengde who reigned from 1506 to 1521. The artist has endowed her with beautiful facial features, very graceful lines and lovely royal garments.  Please note that even her fingernails have been expertly carved. Her headdress is stunning.  There are 9 rows of individually carved beads hanging from the front of her headdress.  The middle row contains 15 beads while the four rows on either side consist of 14 beads in each row.  There are nine rows of beads in the back of her headdress with each row containing 19 beads.  There are also 8 rows of beads at the bottom of her robe with each row containing 12 beads. There are two intricately carved ribbons that adorn either side of the headdress and enhance the beauty of the entire piece. It is amazing that these ribbons have survived intact for roughly 100 years. Her hair in the back is long and graceful and a ribbon or braid surrounds the hair itself. The phoenix is carved throughout her garments.  One phoenix is in the middle of her chest area, one phoenix is carved in the middle of her back, two phoenixes are carved beneath her lap and two more phoenixes can be seen on the sides of each arm. The phoenix is the emblem of the Empress.  It only appears during times of peace and prosperity.  It ranks second of the 4 supernatural creatures.  The phoenix represents the 5 Human Qualities – Virtue, Duty, Correct Behavior, Humanity and Reliability.  It also represents sun and warmth for the summer harvest and symbolizes peace, beauty and good fortune. Her throne is a work of art in and of itself.  There are four Foo Dogs carved into the throne and 4 claw and ball feet support the throne itself. The Foo Dog is the symbol of good fortune, luck and wisdom.  Guardians such as these are placed at the entrance of a home, temple, palace or other building to guard the occupants from evil and harmful spirits. There are water and waves at the base that signify hell, rocks that signify earth and dragons in the sky signify heaven.  She measures 22" tall and the ivory weighs an incredible 14 Pounds which makes her far and away the most substantial Empress I have seen in my 40 years of collecting.  This is definitely the work of a true master craftsman. This piece is engraved "Da Ming Zhengde" in very stylized seal script on the base which refers to the 16th century Ming Emperor Zhengde.  This would make a stunning addition to your collection of fine Asian art and should only increase in value of the years. Dimensions: 22.00" x 12.00" x 9.50" Weight:  14 Pounds Engraved:  Da Ming Zhengde We accept Checks, Money Orders and Wire Transfers PLEASE VISIT MY EBAY STORE TO SEE MANY MORE BEAUTIFUL IVORY CARVINGS   Powered by eBay Turbo ListerThe free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items. Place a Bid!