Ivory carvings are the selections of Chinese carving art.
Ivory is tough yet delicate in texture and perfectly fit for carving. These characteristics were recognized by our ancestors as early as in primitive society, which can be proved by the earliest ivory carving excavations such as round bird sculptures at the Neolithic cultural sites of Hemudu Ruins. The ivory carving art constantly developed during the slave society and feudal society. In the Song Dynasty, the concentric ivory ball sets, also called "demon's work", were created. In the artwork, multiple layers of rotatable carved balls were exquisitely carved out of a whole piece of ivory, which looks artful, delicate and elegant. Apart from that, emperors in Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties also regarded ivories as imperial tributes.
The Qing Dynasty witnessed the heyday of the ivory carving craft. It was then gradually developed towards the trend focusing on small articles, when appliances in the study became the major creations of ivory carving. Most of the pieces are treasures for appreciation and ornamentations. They are decorated with scholar stories, flower and bird patterns and auspicious subjects full of high cultural taste. These ivory carvings became the desktop delights for scholar-bureaucrats, officials and aristocrats.
The ivory artworks handed down from ancient China have surpassed all others in international artwork market for its delicate artistic carving and the value of the ivories itself.
