These highly decorative ivory figurines came into the collection with
a large number of other ivories, bequeathed to Leeds by Henry Oxley in
1948. The ivories had been acquired by his father, J.W. Oxley around
the end of the last century. It is possible that they are German in
orgin and were produced between 1850-1900. Their delicacy and
intricacy belie the controversial nature of the material out of which
they were carved and raises many questions about how galleries should
re-present these objects to contemporary audiences. How should we
value or make sense of them?
