Angolan 1908 carved tusk
08 December 2025
Description

The item is a 55 cm long and 3-4cm wide carved tusk -2 pieces - originally from Angola. I received it from an Angolan-portugese family. On the bottom there is a date: 1908 Due of time there is minor damage to the ornament.

Dimensions

55cm long

Acquired from
Inherited
For sale
Yes
Answered within about 21 hours
By David U.
Dec 09, 15:17 UTC
Fair Market Value
$80 - $200 USD
Insurance Value $0 USD
What does this mean?

Hello, this item is a pair of carved tusk sections measuring about 55 centimeters in length and carved in relief with narrative scenes. The imagery shows figures in traditional dress, animals, and geometric banding. The overall style, the division into repeated vignette panels, and the uniform beige tonality correspond to twentieth century African souvenir carving rather than nineteenth or early twentieth century colonial workshop production. The inscription with the date 1908 appears added as part of the decorative scheme, and the surface patina looks consistent with artificially aged carved bone or ivory substitute rather than naturally aged elephant ivory. Authentic colonial era Angolan carved tusks, such as those produced in the Loango Coast workshops, display finer modeling, deeper relief, and historically accurate narrative content linked to the region.

Given these observations, the pieces should be treated as mid to late twentieth century carved decorative tusks created for export, likely from bone or composite material. Markets are cautious due to restrictions on ivory and confusion between bone and substitutes. Comparable decorative tusks of similar size usually achieve between USD 80 and USD 200 for each piece depending on detail and condition.

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