Such a surprise and treat to find this one and a smaller companion the other day—Alaskan Inuit, carved of fossilized walrus tusk, and I believe with a fair bit of age to him. I really love the paws raised, standing position, revealing fat stripe of dentine straight down the length of the belly, and then with wonderful deeper coloration on the upper half of the back. Inked details for face and claws and red for the mouth. Mid 20th c.I believe.
Standing: 2 3/8” t x 15/16” w x 3/4” d. Very good condition, a couple of minor hairline surface cracks in the bone, not detracting. Many photos shot with 2-4 times magnification.
NOTE: Cannot be shipped to California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington, which have bans on all forms of ivory, including walrus tusk. This is a contentious issue: in 2018, after aggressive movement worldwide to halt the poaching of African elephants for their ivory, U.S. states began to pass what indigenous Alaskans consider (and many others) consider overbroad laws banning the sale of all ivory, not distinguishing between elephant ivory and walrus ivory. While these blanket ivory ban laws are designed to help stop the horrific practices associated with the elephant ivory trade, they have unintentionally harmed the ability of Alaska Native people to effectively continue the respectful and responsible harvest of walrus in their communities. These laws also violate federal law as the harvest and sale of walrus ivory by Alaska Natives is protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which allow for traditional and customary practices and economies to continue using ivory from marine mammals.
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