Hello, and thank you. I have a couple of bone/ivory statues, and I have questions about both of them. My dad brought them back from the Far East after the war, in 1948.
First, the small one (3 1/4″ tall). It has a hole in the bottom, and appears to be hollow inside. Why is that? Does that mean this is a fake, or an imitation?
Any information at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. /Brian
I did double check with a friend on another forum who collects this type item and this is his reply !!
i mart, I think the poster could be right, the bottom looks ok for ivory in my opinion. The hole is drilled I believe, to attach the figure to a wooden base. The figure is Chinese, not Japanese , the person depicted is Shou-Lao, the god of longevity. The date given (before 1948) sounds right, it could be late Republic period. The quality of the carving is not very good, these were mass produced for tourists…
