COLORING OF IVORY

The natural color of growing ivory is mainly determined by the species and its diet. Indian elephant ivory is whiter than African, which is creamy white for animals feeding on the savannah and more brown for those in the Congo forests. Rose-tinted tusks come from the bamboo forests of Ceylon. Tusks can on occasion even be black.

The changing coloration of most aging ivory is unpredictable and should not be confused with the discoloring effect of contact with metal, wood, skin, or other substances. For example, an ivory necklace or bracelet may become discolored due to its frequently coming in contact with skin oils, perspiration, or dirt.

Although some ivories remain creamy white for centuries, others darken or yellow.   Very old ivory may resemble boxwood, chestnut, mahogany, or other woods. This is called the patina. Ancient ivory may look like slate, basalt, sandstone, alabaster, and even opal or turquoise. Some art conservators think that ivory's original color and tone would be preserved if the piece were protected from air and ultraviolet light rays. Ivory also dries out over time and by that loses its natural shine. Some polishing agents may restore the gloss.

In spite of the unusual fascination for its whiteness, ivory has been pigmented in every epoch. Harappans colored some of their carvings with black and red. The Egyptians probably soaked their ivories in baths of mineral salts: red, yellow, brown, green, or black malachite.

Ivory can be colored with aniline dyes. Preliminary preparation, such as steeping in chemicals to enable preparation of the dyes, and the selection of dyes to obtain various colors requires substantial technical knowledge. Simple colorings that can be used without preparation include soaking in liquids as ordinary as coffee, tea, and vegetable infusions, but these will not penetrate very deeply into the ivory surface. The depth of the color is partially controlled by the length of the immersion and the strength of the mixture.

Arguments have been raised against artistic coloring of ivory sculpture, especially if much of the surface is colored. One objection is that the natural creamy color is lost when covered with artificial colors. It should be noted that fine artistic coloring is often semi-transparent and by that allows ivory's surface texture to show through. Another objection is based on the principle held by some that two different art forms -- here, sculpture and painting -- should not be mixed. The issue is at best a subjective matter of taste, but painting on ivory as an adjunct, without overwhelming the sculpture, does seem acceptable. Ivories with colorization are referred to as polychromed.

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