205
Ivory carving, Japan, Meiji period, 1868-1912
Height x width x depth: 4.3 x 3.7 x 5.6 cm. Total weight: 63.8 g
Antique elephant ivory carving (Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 or Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797), depicting three skulls carved from masterfully crafted in Japan during the Meiji period (1868–1912).
The three skulls display smooth surfaces, with pores and cavities rendered with notable realism.
This naturalistic representation is accompanied by a strong symbolic value: in Japan, the skull is often associated with the transience of life, meditation on time, and the natural cycle of birth and death, reflecting a sensibility aligned with Buddhist thought.
This lot, accompanied by a CITES certificate and expertise issued by Ce.S.Ar Centro studi archeometici, is only available for sale with shipments within the European Union. (expertise Ce.S.Ar. 2025-150)
€ 1.000,00 / 1.500,00
Estimate
€ 700,00
Starting price
Unsold
Live auction 369
SILVER ANTIQUES, IVORIES, WUNDERKAMMER - Including selected Works of Art from the Count Luigi Rigi Luperti Collection
Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli, thu 19 February 2026
SINGLE SESSION 19/02/2026 Hours 15:00
New lots currently at auction
DRAWINGS FROM 16th TO 19th CENTURY
Lot 89
Ricciardo Meacci
Allegory of Virtue
ORIENTAL ART FROM ARISTOCRATIC MANSIONS. [..]
Lot 40
A lidless Imari porcelain vase decorated with polychrome floral and bird motifs. Japan, 18th century. [..]
PRINTS FROM 15th TO 20th CENTURY
Lot 132
Jan Saenredam
Adam and Eve
PRINTS FROM 15th TO 20th CENTURY
Lot 376
THEOPHILE ALEXANDRE STEINLEN
Vue de Belmont, prés de Lausanne
PRINTS FROM 15th TO 20th CENTURY
Lot 195
Pieter de Jode II
The Visitation, after Peter Paul Rubens
OLD MASTER PAINTINGS FROM 14th to 19th CE [..]
Lot 183
Artista attivo in Italia, seconda metà XVIII secolo
a) Christ Meets His Mother on Calvary; b) Christ on the Cross between the Two Thieves; c) The Deposition [..]
PRINTS FROM 15th TO 20th CENTURY
Lot 359
Felix Vallotton
Portrait d'un bibliophile | Portrait de Paul Verlain
PRINTS FROM 15th TO 20th CENTURY
Lot 215
Giuliano Giampiccoli
Il molle fianco,e il tergo a noi rivolto..., after Francesco Zuccarelli
ORIENTAL ART FROM ARISTOCRATIC MANSIONS. [..]
Lot 60
A pair of three-legged turquoise-glazed ceramic ceremonial incense burners. China, Ming Dynasty, 17th [..]
PRINTS FROM 15th TO 20th CENTURY
Lot 183