Endangered species: ivory

MADAM – Your news story (‘Ivory removed from Chippendale before sale’, ATG No 2356) draws attention to the deliberate and unforgivable removal of original ivory elements from an important commode by Thomas Chippendale, England’s most famous cabinet maker.

Our story last week revealed that ivory elements of an important piece of Chippendale furniture, the Rowland Winn commode made c.1766, were removed for its appearance at a Christie’s auction earlier this year, the commode having been imported from the US.

Ivory elements of an important piece of Chippendale furniture were removed prior to its appearance at auction earlier this year, ATG has learned.

MADAM – ATG letter correspondents Peter Cameron and Gavin Littaur (ATG Nos 2353, 2355) have hit the nail on the head in many ways.

MADAM – In his letter (ATG No 2355) Michael Baggott references the possibility that, following changes in the law, antiques could be mutilated because of their ivory content.

Silver dealer Michael Baggott is appealing to the trade to help in the documentation of antique ivory objects after the proposed legislation becomes law.

MADAM – A friend in the trade asked me over a year ago, ‘what will you do if antiques containing ivory are made illegal?’. Since then I’ve given it serious thought. What can any of us do?

MADAM – Peter Cameron writes in ATG No 2353 that only 691 people have signed the ivory petition [now at 1688 as we go to press], that a response from the government requires 10,000 signatures, and that 100,000 are needed to raise a parliamentary debate.

MADAM – Six hundred and ninety-one people is actually a fairly decent response from a trade in which there are only a handful of interested parties (Letters, ATG No 2353).

MADAM – I thought your readers might be interested in having a greater understanding of the importance that CITES plays in protecting wildlife and fauna.

MADAM – My congratulations to Anthony Bernbaum and to Lewis Baer for their excellent letters: Mr Bernbaum’s account of why he left Online Galleries and Mr Baer advocating the creation of a global trade body for the art and antiques sector (ATG No 2352).

MADAM – ATG readers may know about the online petition created by dealer Alastair Gibson to raise the ivory ‘de minimis’ in the government’s ivory ban (Freya Simms, chief executive of LAPADA, writes). We have just written to our members, in case they wish to support this, to pass on a tip about filling in the online form. I am passing on this information to ATG readers also.

The so-called de minimis rule – the requirement to register items containing less than 10% of ivory prior to sale – has been criticised in the House of Lords as the ivory bill continues its progress through parliament.

The House of Lords plans to recommend amendments to the ivory bill in the hope that it will be “less damaging” to the art and antiques trade.

MADAM – I write in support of the views expressed in BADA chairman Michael Cohen’s letter (ATG No 2349), written in response to another letter supporting the ban (ATG No 2348).