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Article: Incredible ivories.
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- February 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Objects made of ivory from the west coast of Africa were among the first African artifacts brought back to Europe through trade. The discovery of vast quantities of West African ivory, called "white gold" in Europe, transformed the nature of African-Portuguese trading in the 1400s and 1500s. This was a prosperous period for the Portuguese and, as their wealth increased, so did their taste for luxury goods. Ivory's enormous commercial value led African leaders to control its distribution and use carefully.
The first of the beautifully carved ivories to be exported came from Sierra Leone and were made by Sapi artisans. Later, as the political climate in Sierra ...