ANTIQUE Bear Cribbage Board ALASKAN NATIVE WALRUS IVORY Start Price USD 695.00 Current Price USD 695.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, August 30, 2008 End Time Tuesday, September 09, 2008 Location North Kingstown, RI See more about 'ANTIQUE Bear Cribbage Board ALASKAN NATIVE WALRUS IVORY' Description AUTHENTIC ALASKAN NATIVE WALRUS IVORY eskimo Art: Bear Cribbage Board   This lovely piece is made of AUTHENTIC ALASKAN NATIVE WALRUS IVORY Walrus Ivory Carved by Inupiaq eskimo Al Mayac from King Island, Alaska.   8" Long x 2.50" High x 1.25" Wide About Scrimshaw:  American whalers began hunting whales out of the New World as early as the 1700's.  To pass their idle hours, they began making articles, both practical and frivolous, out of the bones and teeth of the whales they caught.  They made games such as cribbage and dominoes.  They made corset stays, hatboxes, canes, jewelry, cooking and sewing utensils, and anything else their imagination could come up with.  With their sailors' needles or knives, they carved simple or sometimes elaborate pictures in the whales teeth or other things they had made, rubbing lamp black from the top of their oil lanterns into the carved lines to highlight the pictures.  This unique folk art became known as scrimshaw.  The first scrimshaw was made from whale ivory or bone. Among these ivories were walrus, seal, elephant, wart hog and hippo.  Modern artists use many materials, primarily at this time ancient ivories such as wooly mammoth, mastodon, and fossilized or mineralized walrus ivory. Barbara Cullen (the artist):   Barbara has been working as a Scrimshander for over thirty years and is currently Owner/Artist of Mystic Scrimshanders in Wickford  Rhode Island.  Barbara is a winner of Mystic Seaport Museum’s prestigious Award of Excellence!   Barbara is also founder and host of the 7th Annual Mystic Scrimshanders National Scrimshaw Competition which draws artists and collectors from around the country. Because of her keen eye for detail, Barbara uses the stipple technique. Stipple work is an engraving technique that involves the use of fine holes in the ivory to hold the pigment.  She uses mostly Ancient Ivories such as Wooly Mammoth, Mastodon, and Fossil Walrus. In addition to scrimshaw Ms. Cullen also works in the mediums of Watercolor and pen and ink.  She has created several limited edition prints of harbor scenes, mermaids, and animals. About Ivory:  We use only legal ivories.  Here is a description of each, our source and the laws governing them.  All of our ivory sold on Ebay will be using either elephant, mammoth or ancient walrus ivory unless your order was a polymer reproduction.  We do not work in sperm whale ivory. Antique Walrus Ivory:  Antique Walrus ivory is derived from the tusks and teeth of the walrus which lived years ago on the frozen tundra of Alaska. The ivory lay buried in a variety of mineral deposits which slowly changed its color to a myriad of mochas, tans, browns, and blacks. Today it is unearthed by native Eskimo which value it for its uses in everyday life. Antique Walrus Ivory - The Law:  Raw walrus ivory predating the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act, tusks bearing the Alaska state walrus ivory registration tags, and post law walrus ivory that has been carved or scrimshawed by an Eskimo are legal to buy, possess, and sell. Commerce in the ancient or unearthed walrus ivory is unrestricted. Ancient Mammoth Ivory: The Wooly Mammoth was a large Prehistoric creature which roamed the earth over 10,000 years ago. Resembling our modern elephant they had long shaggy coats and large curved tusks often exceeding ten feet in length. Now extinct, their remains are occasionally unearthed in the northern hemisphere with their long ivory tusks intact. Over the centuries, the ivory has taken on a variety of colors including tans and grays which gives each piece a unique quality.   Ancient Mammoth Ivory - The Law:  Commerce in this 10,000- 40,000 year old ivory is completely unrestricted. African Elephant Ivory:  Elephant ivory is derived from the tusk of the African Elephant. From 1976-1989 ivory was obtained from the elephants in National Parks which died of natural causes or were culled from the herds. Due to corruption in a small percentage of these parks, the U.S. put a ban on the importation of Elephant ivory in 1989. Currently we are able to work with ivory that was legally imported into the U.S. prior to the ban.   Elephant Ivory - The Law:  Elephant ivory has been regulated since 1976 and was allowed into the U.S. only from game reserves that followed the guidelines set forth by The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species or CITES. Importing, buying, and selling African elephant ivory has not been allowed internationally since 1989. It is legal to own, buy, sell or ship "estate" ivory which was present legally in the United States before 1989. Antique Walrus Ivory:  Antique Walrus ivory is derived from the tusks and teeth of the walrus which lived years ago on the frozen tundra of Alaska. The ivory lay buried in a variety of mineral deposits which slowly changed its color to a myriad of mochas, tans, browns, and blacks. Today it is unearthed by native Eskimo which value it for its uses in everyday life.   Antique Walrus Ivory - The Law: Raw walrus ivory predating the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act, tusks bearing the Alaska state walrus ivory registration tags, and post law walrus ivory that has been carved or scrimshawed by an Eskimo are legal to buy, possess, and sell. Commerce in the ancient or unearthed walrus ivory is unrestricted. Antique Piano Key Ivory: Prior to modern synthetics, Victorian piano keys were covered with elephant ivory cut to 1mm in thickness. This antique ivory is still useable when removed from the wooden keys. Once cleaned and buffed, this recycled ivory will show off a classic yellow patina which has developed over many years. We use piano key ivory in designs ranging from inlays on boxes to bookmarks.   Please note:   1)  Payment from winner bidder is expected within 3 days. PAYMENT ON Buy it Now should be paid immediately. Please contact me if unable to do so for any reason.   2) I will be happy to combine shipping for multiple items!    3) I ship Priority Mail so that you can have your purchase quickly, and it can be tracked!!!    4) Any questions, problems please let me know, I want you to be delighted with your purchase!!!!!   5) If you have a (0) after your name, please contact me before bidding, or I may cancel your bid.  If you are not a serious bidder it’s simply not fair to those that are.  Thanks! Place a Bid!