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Ivory puzzle ball: O.1-2015

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An image of Set of balls
An image of Set of balls
An image of Set of balls
An image of Set of balls
An image of Set of balls
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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Ivory puzzle ball

Maker(s)

Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Carved ivory sphere with openwork figurines in landscape with coral tassels. Reticulated ornamental balls became a speciality of the Guangzhou ivory industry in the nineteenth century. The spheres themselves carved from a single piece of ivory have relatively few pierced openings and a simple lattice pattern. Carved in the round. Pierced decoration throughout.

Carved ivory sphere with openwork figurines in landscape with coral tassels. Reticulated ornamental balls became a speciality of the Guangzhou ivory industry in the nineteenth century. The spheres themselves carved from a single piece of ivory have relatively few pierced openings and a simple lattice pattern.

Legal notes

Given by Jane Brooks

Measurements and weight

Length: 37.5 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (2015-01-26) by Brooks, Jane

Dating

19th Century, Mid
Circa 1825 CE - Circa 1874 CE

School or Style

Chinese

Components of the work

Tassel composed of coral ( Red)
Main composed of ivory
Part Daimeter 10.5 cm
Ivory

Identification numbers

Accession number: O.1-2015
Primary reference Number: 201244

Audit data

Created: Thursday 19 March 2015 Updated: Thursday 14 August 2025

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Ivory puzzle ball" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/201244 Accessed: 2025-12-06 13:43:42

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/201244 |title=Ivory puzzle ball |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 13:43:42|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/api/v1/objects/object-201244

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<div class="text-center">
    <figure class="figure">
        <img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/aa/aa32/O_1_2015_10_201503_kly25_dc2.jpg"
        alt="Ivory puzzle ball"
        class="img-fluid" />
        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Ivory puzzle ball</figcaption>
    </figure>
</div>

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