Benvenuti in queste pagine dedicate a scienza, storia ed arte. Amelia Carolina Sparavigna, Torino. Saturday, June 16, Chinese and European ivory puzzle balls. Japanese ivory for the domestic market had traditionally mostly been small objects such as netsuke , for which ivory was used from the 17th century, or little inlays for sword-fittings and the like, but in the later 19th century, using African ivory, pieces became as large as the material would allow, and carved with virtuosic skill. A speciality was round puzzle balls of openwork that contained a series of smaller balls, freely rotating, inside them, a tribute to the patience of Asian craftsmen.
The Chinese Carved Ivory Puzzle Balls reference the interest in combing art and nature while designating curiosity in Chinese craftsmanship and imagery affecting a European market. Alumni love the items and regularly ask about the collection in Special Collections as they represent an aspect of the college they continue to love. To create the work, carvers would first have started with a solid piece of ivory that would be turned on a lathe to form a sphere-like structure. Most puzzle balls have approximately twenty layers; several pieces in the Gettysburg College collection have upwards to thirty layers. To begin forming the layers, the carver would have made conical-shaped incisions, from these holes the artist would have been able to carve each ball. Each layer would have a corresponding tool of a different height, so the artist would be able to reach the specific layer easily.
JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Puzzles, however, come in many shapes and sizes and serve various purposes aside from entertainment. One such variety, commonly known as the Chinese puzzle ball, is an incredible spherical enigma that has been incorporated into various forms of decorative art for centuries. Chinese carved ivory tazza with a puzzle ball stem, Circa
These items are not for sale and the descriptions, images and prices are for reference purposes only. You can reduce the number of items displayed by entering a keyword that must be included in the description of the item. Early 20th century ivory puzzle ball. Diameter 5 cm.