The ivory ban has again become a serious problem for an auction, this time in London. A commode (the English name for a type of chest) was auctioned at Christie’s on July 5. The catalog mentioned that the inlaid ivory alphabet letters on the inside behind two doors had been stripped and replaced by the seller in the United States with ivorine, a plastic substitute. This was done before the piece was shipped to England to comply with the U.S. ban on ivory trading. The commode was made by Thomas Chippendale in a new Neoclassical style for Sir Rowland Winn between 1766 and 1769. It sold at auction in 1991 for $1.68 million, making it the most expensive piece of furniture ever auctioned. The altered commode, estimated at £3 to £5 million ($4 to $7 million), did not sell at the July Christie’s auction. The replacement of the ivory shocked many who felt it was “vandalism” and a “tragedy.” English art experts are now even more concerned about the proposed law to ban selling ivory, old or new, in England. They, like many others, think destroying ivory used in art that is over 100 years old does not seem like a logical way to protect live elephants in Africa.
Photo: Telegraph.co.uk
Dear Junkminer. I’m afraid you are wrong. The African elephant is NOT facing extinction in South Africa. Our rhino is really facing extinction, as is the wonderful wild dog and as are many other species. In the SA Kruger Park and private game reserves, elephants sometimes have to be culled (the ivory is never sold) because their numbers become a threat to other species. Remember that ellies push over trees and cause quite a lot of destruction. This, in turn, threatens species like giraffes who live on trees. It seems a pity that people are not always aware of the real facts. Save the rhino is that watch word here.
Because of our position as the experts and caretakers of this world and market I personally feel it is our moral obligation to do whatever it takes to preserve the living elephant species for future generations. Material objects endure and teach us much. They do not replace the living creatures they were made from. The potential extinction of elephants is just one crisis our current way of life has created but it is the one we as professional dealers can do something about. We can have a great impact on this situation by ceasing to deal in ivory of any kind. This is antithetical to the free-market ethos of our profession but it is time to stand for something other than our own self-interests.
According to this, it seems that the replacement of the ivory in the antique commode was completely unnecessary for resale. Am I missing something in the law?
https://www.fws.gov/international/travel-and-trade/ivory-ban-questions-and-answers.html
I met a woman from NY who travels to Africa and works with the elephants through one of the charities.She sees a lot of heartbreak and terrible sadness and she told me she had been in Brussels enroute to Africa and she was in an antique store selling ivory which is akin to seeing the aftermath of an atrocity.I as much as anyone like to see antiques preserved but when you still have these “luxury”items it creates the desire for more and more.Some newly wealthy Asian businessman ( I say Asian because that market has the highest desire for ivory)might have purchased antique ivory at some point but then he wants even more and so the need never goes away. People want what they cant have and sometimes destroying it is the only way to go extreme as that is.Yes it is silly but it wont compare with how sad it is when we have no more elephants but we have a bunch of inlaid ivory furniture antique and new .
As professional antique dealers we spend our lifetimes preserving the material artifacts of the past for future generations. We provide context and understanding about the beautiful and fascinating material objects that ours and other cultures create. Over the years I’ve encountered awe inspiring pieces made wholly or partially of ivory, pieces whose craftsmanship will probably never be equaled again. I’ve been lucky enough to sell a few of these pieces.
I think the Americans have lost the plot. I live in South Africa and are more aware than even you, how endangered our wildlife is. How can old and precious ivory artefacts of yore protect the animals from being poached now? It’s ludicrous to ban (and worse, burn, as in NY) beautiful antique objects that were handmade with a craftsmanship that no longer even exists, and never will again. I have an ivory collection of small exquisite pieces that I have collected with great care. Must I burn them now because of the rubbish PC that’s twisting our world out of proportion? Wholesale stupidity.
You should live in California where Antique & Collectible dealers can not sell anything with ANY DEAD animal parts. Anything with Tortoise shell, any Victorian taxidermy, Ostrich feathers, feathers from ANY birds, crocodile, snake, etc….the list never ends! Hopefully it will open an under ground market to keep our heritage alive! (I’ve already seen it happen)
Hopefully it will even drive prices up! Any time you ban something it makes it more valuable, more desirable, gotta have it! Gee whiz, prohibition comes to mind! It all started with the fringe wackos in California and now the disease has spread to the rest of the US and the World. Fish & Game have destroyed tons of ANTIQUE Ivory with no connections to poaching! One step further….We have to preserve land for some stupid mouse or ruin agriculture farmers who provides us with food for some salmon to spawn!! Not everyone eats Salmon but they do eat Veggies!!! Insanity on Steroids!!!!
Absolutely asinine to deface this commode in this manner. The ivory was harvested long, long ago before late 20th and 21st Centuries’ values have come to disdain such practices. Understanding that, why not appreciate the antique ivory, instead of taking it off of this piece and destroying it. Stupid!
How very sad a beautiful antique would be destroyed because of political correctness
the way around selling ivory is to call it “bone” – most know this is code for ivory which truth be told is sort of a “bone”
I had my parents’ grand piano which was made in the 1940’s and had ivory keys. My parents founded Tulsa Opera and I wanted to donate it for their headquarters, shipping from Austin. I learned, because of its ivory keys, it couldn’t cross state lines. Idiotic!
I believe the law in the US says that you can cross the border with ivory if you can provide reasonable proof that it was harvested prior to 1974. I am a bagpiper and my pipes have elephant ivory fittings on them but they were made in 1936. It hasn’t been a problem crossing into Canada. Looks like GB might have more stringent rules if they had to remove the ivory on this chest. What a shame. There should be exemptions to avoid destroying antique items.
I have a pendant made from a Japanese ivory netsuke. I bought it in 1973. I also have a piano with ivory keys, which must be at least 80 years old. Can I sell them?
Another example of how government oversteps its objective and enters into the realm of the ludicrous.
I had a piano made in 1921. The tops of the keys were made from ivory. The piano was demolished but I still have all of the keys. with the ivory. Can I sell them?
“destroying ivory used in art that is over 100 years old does not seem like a logical way to protect live elephants in Africa.”
When it comes to people out to do good, logic is often thrown out the window.
A better way to protect living elephants might be making poaching a capital offense. It is a lot harder to make new elephants than new poachers. And morally, there is no comparison between the two.
I see where Kenya raised penalties on poaching from practically nothing to large fines and a potential life sentence. Going in the right direction.
Chippendale commode should be in a museum, not owned by greedy new money Americans.
Well, that’s too bad. Evolving into a more humane society can be painful for some. The important thing to remember is that these are just “things” that we put value on; an animal’s life is a life, having an intrinsic value of its own. Perhaps this is a wake up call. Endangered species poaching continues to this day. Fortunately, there are many wildlife concerns and organizations that are stepping in to stop the slaughter of these innocent creatures.
Sad to see so much beautiful art and antiques being destroyed by the political opinions of today! Are books next?
We have a lovely collection of very old ivory netsuke collected in rhe early 80’s. We are in the US and now that we are aging would like to sell some of them. We even have a 27 layer mystery ball on an ivory stand. We have been told we cannot sell them even though there are collectors interested. Sad state of affairs.