Sporting works of art

Ivory is now almost entirely banned but in the past it was used to craft magnificent display pieces, including these rare 17th-century ivory-stocked pistols

- Mark Murray-Flutter

FOR CENTURIES ivory has been viewed as an exotic and mystical material and, as a consequence, highly valued.

Today, it is almost entirely prohibited and is now viewed as something not to be traded in (it is illegal to do so for the most part). But this was not the case in the past because, prior to the 20th century, it was prized for its beauty. Since at least Classical times it has been considered a luxury material from which to make and decorate the most precious of objects.

Ivory has also been used to adorn the most luxurious of weapons, either as engraved inlays in the stocks of guns and crossbows or ornately carved grips on swords and daggers, and especially as powder flasks. The subjects of this article are even rarer examples of the use of elephant ivory: fully stocked ivory flintlock pistols of the 17th century.