The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-01-15

How = Costly Material IL Carved Isto
HsuiNcla shapes.

now Tbts Costly MATERIAL - CnrvcN IntO
Nsuifcid shapes
When Mr.. whitelaw Reid was In search of
workman to decorate apartments ut Ophir
Farm with rich and beautiful antiques brought
over from Europe, he found that thero was but
one man in America who could do such work.
and he Law sick. Had Mr.. Reid been in search
OF skilled Ivory carvers. he would have found
them almost as scarce. There are not above
three or four Ivory carvers OF approved skill in
New York. and hardly 50 many In all tho rest
OF the country. Tho men who do such work
are paid high n G tho year round. whether
busy or idle. They are Frenchmer. Germans.
and Italians. or tho three tho Italians arc
perhaps the most skllful. since ivory carving
has been an art In q high degree OF perfection
among the Italians for centuries. The most
famous ivory carver living. however. Is a
Frenchman. Moreau Nauthicr. Fcw Of his
masterpieces have beon seen in America.
though two were sold at the famous Morgan
art sale OF q few years ago. ind two more. held
at q great price. are now in the possession Of q
noted American jeweller.
The ivory carvers of this country do little or
nothing In the Fast Indian or Japanese man
ner. nor do they occupy themselves with fi2ure
work. Their chief employment is in produce
ing decorative toilet and stationery articles.
The rage for stained and carved Nv ny Is OF re-
cent growth in the United States. and the de-
mand for such articles is not large. as they
are moro costly thnn tho rame articles in all
YER would he, They were produced to tichlo
tho faded aesthetic I%alates Of tie rich and lnN.
urious, and only those, who may trifie q
T si6s1s shsy d Ti,i, ind y sS,t tssTI xary. to any con-
IN ali such articles the cost Of the raw mate.
rial Is small 10, comparison with that OF tho
contain large ausptitis. q the dinest iyors ent
from the best Part Of the tusk. The labor cost
81 msssine rs and rapidly. :" Thus i often h"r;
snd carved q will soss t,ye tines tin as much ,nn Is 2
sans tools a. tho xSoa Ssrvess. but q, iIshtos
s aaa %st ssd G | ssd n isstsr.o ase T TSe carving r. HN:
Is usually done In low reliet. and tho subjects
f fss sssh a: :: sss i: sr asiIes,o !" .a as,s tF ,ss % s.s''is
from those .maryelleusly simple bHt artistic
sien:. and y sPsrmittea to aStofb moisture,
fresh LOOK common in newly manutacturei
articles Of ivory, The art OF staining ivory Is
a secret guarded yell ~ by The the r "a ,,rv,,c
may be had from the fact that while a hand
mirror framed in rlain ivory, may be had for
ivory cost from ST. to ,s25. and a toilet SGT in
American Climate. with it's extremes q, heat
and cold. is verv trying upon ivory. and ivory
backed mirrors of European manufacture
almost invariably crack across the back after
iIantic. II. American manufacturers have
hit upon the expedient OF leaving II space be-
tween glass and frame In or!er to allow for
contraction, and expansion.
Nearly all tho ivory brought 10 the United
whero tho price is knocked about by bulls and
bears. who corner ivory as they correr wheat
or corn. The African. rather than the Asiatic.
ivory Ia brought, to this country. though one Of
the, largest tusSs ever sonn In this market.
trophy OF the chase. The tust measures
more than six feet in length and retains the
marks It bore when worn, iy the sacred beast
to which It belonged. Thanks to the preIa-
and his black Zanziharis. the supply Of ivory
has kept pace with the Increased dem and re-.
sulting from, its extended use In this country.
and the price for the raw material has not
t taan.rI isG and feet mon N are Isn fa,s ; fS%e ,o to t ts.s
lonV. Many OF the tusks roach here after
having been hurled In Africa for yenrs to savo
them from thievish enemies of the savage
owners. Every tuck must go through n proc
the process is natural or artificial. before it Ia
made IN into articles OF ornament or use. 1t
Is dlnicult to obtain a perfect slab OF ivory
more than siS inches ia diameter. as. tho up-
in tho solid part of the tusk. From the latter
are made billiard balls and the most beauti-
fully carved arttcles, for the toilet and tho
writing desk, From the coarser parts are made
ilcies. Every part Of, tho tusk Is put TO use.
Even the chips and sawdust are converted
into Ivory black by burning.