Ivory Carvings - EMPEROR, EMPRESS, ATTENDANTS - Jewels Start Price USD 5,500.00 Current Price USD 5,500.00 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 Carvings - EMPEROR, EMPRESS, ATTENDANTS - Jewels' Description Thank you very much for considering these beautiful works 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. These carvings are 100% genuine AFRICAN ELEPHANT IVORY and in EXCELLENT CONDITION.  They were HAND CARVED and HAND SCRIMSHAWED in China by a gifted master craftsman in the early 1900s.  They have a lovely patina that nature has chosen to bestow upon them. These carvings are UNIQUE and exhibit 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. These carvings were legally imported into the USA. These carvings 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 these pieces of $9,500.  Auction estimates are conservative and typically well below appraised values.    EMPEROR & EMPRESS This is a marvelous set of an Emperor and Empress wearing heavily incised traditional robes and attributes.  They are solid elephant ivory.  The Emperor and Empress are both adorned with jewels to add to their desirability.  The Emperor wears a sapphire stone and the Empress wears a turquoise stone. Each is being attended to by an attendant with a fan on a long pole.  These fans on long poles act as symbols of authority.  The Emperor is accompanied by an attendant serf and the Empress is accompanied by an attendant maiden. They reside on top of shaped sectional ivory bases.  Each comes with its own custom wooden stand.  The faces of the Emperor and Empress and each of the attendants are simply stunning!  The Emperor rests his left hand on his sword while his right hand strokes his beard.  He sports a very elaborate headdress.  The Emperor also has dragons carved into his robes. The dragon is the symbol of luck, wealth, good fortune and wisdom.  The dragon represents male vigor and fertility and is also the imperial emblem of the Emperor.  The coat of arms of the Emperors from the Han period displayed two dragons contesting the fiery pearl.  A five-clawed dragon was for imperial use only.  A four-clawed dragon indicated a prince and a three-clawed dragon represented an official.  The dragon and phoenix are the symbols for husband and wife and emperor and empress.  The dragon ranks first amongst the 4 supernatural creatures.  The Empress is holding a lovely Ju-I scepter. The Ju-I in the Ch’ing Dynasty was presented to high court officials as a marker of Imperial favor.  The Ju-I tradition is thousands of years old.  Originally thought to be a short sword, used for pointing, it later became a primitive phallic symbol given by the Emperor to a favorite consort.  It reached its present symbolism in the Tang Dynasty during the 7th and 8th centuries. The Empress is also wearing an elaborate headdress and has phoenixes carved into the back of her robes. 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.  A train of small birds is always in attendance when the phoenix flies.  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.   The artist has done a great job of carving these beautiful pieces.  The deep incising gives depth and beauty to each piece. They both have a lovely patina that comes only with age. Each stands nearly 13” tall without the stand and the combined weight of the ivory is over 5 pounds!   Dimensions (Each):  13.00" x 7.00" x 4.00" Weight (Total):  5 Pounds, 9 ounces We will ship to you via USPS Priority Insured Mail. We accept Checks, Money Orders and PayPal 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!