Article: Incredible ivories.

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 ...

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