Very beautiful and large African elephant in gray ebony carved in Cameroon

Height: 30 cm, length: 24 cm

Ebony wood:

Ebony is the product of the ebony tree, a tropical tree found in Africa and Asia; its color ranges from dark brown to black. It is a very hard, dense and oily wood, with a very fine grain that provides, to the touch, a sensation of great softness.

Why is ebony expensive?

These qualities make ebony a precious wood!

Considered as such, in any case, since its appearance in Europe in the 12th century where ebony was already used to make small objects (boxes, chess sets, knife handles, etc.)

It was only in the 17th century that ebony was successfully cut into very thin plates that specialized workers glued onto furniture; high-precision work that gave birth in 1743 to a new corporation, that of cabinetmakers, most of whom were grouped together at the beginning of the 19th century in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine district of Paris.

Even more refined uses also appeared at this time: In violin making (recorder, clarinet, oboe or piano keys, etc.), marquetry, cutlery, etc.

Precious wood, therefore, intended for refined objects, but also rare wood which is due to the fact that not all ebony trees produce beautiful black wood, free of whitish veins or other defects.

In fact, ebony only turns black two to three months after being cut and therefore, we do not know when we cut it whether or not it will provide good wood. Consequently, the fact is that only one tree out of two or three can be validly used for sculpture...

All this, added to the transport difficulties to get the wood out of the forest, explains the high production cost.

Royal ebony

In addition, only the heart of ebony is black, the sapwood remaining wood-colored. African craftsmen thus produce two-tone objects, black and brown, which they called royal ebony.

Grey ebony: A very rare and precious wood...

Grey ebony is one of the rarest and most precious woods in the world. It seems to come from ebony trees (of the species Diospyros crassiflora) whose heartwood has not blackened. This wood is grey, sometimes veined and its grain is tight, which gives it a magnificent polish and an exceptional softness to the touch.

PS: Some cracks may appear in the sculptures: Wood is a living material!

PPS: Since ivory is banned from export by the Washington Convention, the tusks and teeth are carved from hippopotamus teeth.