Description
This ivory carving was made to sheath wooden furniture made in India for trade along the Silk Road, which stretched from Rome to China. One lady adjusts the coiffure of another; a wicker stool is between them. Indian ivory-faced furnishings—along with lacquer boxes from China and painted glass from Rome—were found in an extraordinary deposit of luxury goods at a site called Begram.
Provenance
Frederick M. Mayer [1899–1974], New York, NY, by descent to his son, Robert J. Mayer (?–1974); Robert J. Mayer (1974–?); (Spink & Son, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1985); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1985–)
Accession Number
1985.104
Medium
ivory
Dimensions
Overall: 7.2 x 5.3 cm (2 13/16 x 2 1/16 in.)
Classification
Ivory
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund