Reliëf uit ivoor met voorstelling van een bacchanaal, door Ignaz Elhafen 1869 - 1887

This relief, depicting a bacchanal scene, was carved in ivory by Ignaz Elhafen. Ivory, a material derived from elephant tusks, has long been prized for its smooth texture, subtle grain, and luminous quality. The carving process involved meticulous removal of material, and the resulting composition brims with human and animal figures. The artist would have used specialized tools, slowly revealing the forms within the tusk. But think about what it means to make an artwork like this. As a luxury good, ivory represented wealth and status. In this sense, it’s not only about skill, but also about the global marketplace and power dynamics, including colonial resource extraction. When we look at an object like this, we can understand a great deal about the broader world of production, and its inequalities. It certainly gives us food for thought.