Mandau

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

I agree that the ivory shown here is most likely elephant ivory.

However, ivory from some other animals does also display schreger lines. An expert in this field of ivory identification can in most cases differentiate the source of an ivory, however, in the case of mammoth ivory it can be somewhere between difficult & impossible to be absolutely certain with any identification.

Fossil ivory has been used in Indonesian artifacts in the past, & is still being used in Indonesian carvings today. In Bali a tour of shops, galleries & workshops that sell ivory carvings will almost always identify the ivory carvings being offered as "mammoth ivory".

I suppose a lot of ivory being offered bears the heading ‘mammoth ’ because mammoth ivory is legal to trade. I think it is hard to prove that it is mammoth at the request of customs.
Regards
Marc

[Tim Simmons]

Aussie ans Iban ww2.

[Sajen]

Hi Marc,

The handle is indeed from ivory, the first mandau I've seen with such a handle. The handle also shows a very nice carving and also a face. Laminated mandau blades are also very rare and seldom seen. In short, you have a great mandau there, I hope Maurice sees this thread and will comment, he is, at the moment, the person who knows as best about mandaus. Great score, congrats!

Regards,
Detlef

[asomotif]

First time that I see a mandau hilt of ivory ( in over 30 years)

[asomotif]

It would be worth to restore the hilt in my opinion.

The ivory most probably allowed a more detailed carving compared to deer antler.

[Marc M.]

Originally Posted by asomotif

It would be worth to restore the hilt in my opinion.

The ivory most probably allowed a more detailed carving compared to deer antler.

Thank you for your response. Is there any particular reason that ivory was rarely used although the material is present?
I suppose the piece missing from my mandau is similar to your mandau. A restoration might be considered, I have a piece from which it could be made.
Regards
Marc

[asomotif]

Hello Marc,
I do not know if there is a specific reason why ivory is seldom/almost not used in Borneo.
I have only seen 2 objects of elephant ivory before. Both were earrings, and one of the owners was for some reason claiming that it was an ivorine fake. This is the 3rd object of ivory that I have seen. And based on the carving I am sure this is the real deal 🙂
The material is indeed present as in local elephants. And also through trade it must have been possible to get ivory from either Asia or Africa.
Ido notice that elephants do not play a role in the art , myths and religions on Borneo.