Pair of Sri Lankan Carved Ivory Lion Headed Handles mounted on an English steel carving knife and fork
A Fine Pair of Sri Lankan Carved Ivory Lion Headed Handles mounted on an English steel carving knife and fork
The open mouths of the lions revealing their teeth and assuming a sense of ferocity
Probably originally dagger handles
Early 19th Century
Size: 40cm long (max) – 15¾ ins long (max)
The open mouths of the lions revealing their teeth and assuming a sense of ferocity
Probably originally dagger handles
Early 19th Century
Size: 40cm long (max) – 15¾ ins long (max)
Sri Lanka and its surrounding sea were for all the foreigners who visited or aimed to dominate the island a treasure trove, a ‘gift from a divine hand’ as the Portuguese Pinto de Azevedo said to his King Joao IV in 1646. The island’s natural resources included precious stones, rock crystal, ivory and ambergris, all raw materials that have formed the basis for some of the most outstanding precious objects known in the West.
Pair of Sri Lankan Carved Ivory Lion Headed Handles mounted on an English steel carving knife and fork
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