The prominence of carved ivory in Steckelmann’s collection may well reflect the general public’s fascination with this exotic and precious African material. It experienced a surge in market demand in Europe and the United States in the nineteenth century and, for all intents and purposes, became the plastic of the era. Ivory provided a ready material for mass-produced items, such as piano keys, billiard balls, and combs.

The carving of ivory for small table and cosmetic items—such as spoons, napkin rings, toothpicks, fans, and finger rings—formed a lucrative avenue of trade for the European export market. Despite the long distances traversed in its commerce, ivory was an attractive commodity due to its high value and low bulk. An average pair of African elephant tusks could yield hundreds of portable items. Such market demand thus brought on a century of intensive elephant hunting that was unprecedented in the history of the continent until the most recent decades of the twentieth century.

Carved Elephant Tusks	Inscribed Ivory Napkin Rings	Inscribed Ivory Napkin Rings
Decorated Ivory Napkin Ring	Decorated Ivory Containers	Ivory Letter Openers
Ivory Hammock Pins	Detail of Kneeling Woman on Ivory Hammock Pin	Detail of Kneeling Woman on Ivory Hammock Pin
Ivory Hairpins	Ivory Spoons