Hornbill ivory
Encyclopedia
Hornbill ivory is a precious ornamental material derived from the Helmeted Hornbill
(Buceros vigil), a large bird of the Malay Peninsula
, Sumatra
, and Borneo
.
Many hornbill
species have "casques", decorative growths on the upper mandible of the bill. In most, the casque has a spongy structure, but in the Helmeted Hornbill it is solid keratin
. This material, hornbill ivory, has a texture suggesting ivory
but is softer. As it grows it is golden yellow, but the bird rubs its casque on its preen gland, whose oily secretion tints the surface of the casque bright red.
Native peoples in the Helmeted Hornbill's range, such as the Kenyah and Kelabit, have long carved the casques. In Malaysia, hornbill-ivory rings were said to change colour when near poisonous food.http://www.ivoryhound.com/articles_hornbill_ivory.htm The Chinese
encountered the material in the 14th century and it soon became an important trade item at Brunei
. According to Tom Harrisson
, writing in the first (1960) edition of The Birds of Borneo:
During the Ming dynasty
, the Chinese valued hornbill ivory above true ivory or jade
. They carved the casques, or they made them into sheets, coloured them with the secretion of the preen gland, and made them into belt buckle
s for high officials. They called hornbill ivory hèdǐng (Wade-Giles ho-ting), which is said to be their approximation of an indigenous namehttp://www.ivoryhound.com/articles_hornbill_ivory.htm (but means "crane head", and thus many Chinese thought the substance came from a crane
rather than a hornbill). The Japan
ese also carved imported hornbill ivory into such objects as netsuke
.
By the early 20th century, the Helmeted Hornbill became rare because it was slaughtered for its casque. Now legal trade in hornbill ivory is limited to certified antiques, and hornbill-ivory carvings are more valuable than those of any true ivory.http://www.acstones.com/gemofmonth/2005/gemofmonth.03.05.html
Helmeted Hornbill
The Helmeted Hornbill is a very large bird in the hornbill family. It is found in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo....
(Buceros vigil), a large bird of the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
Many hornbill
Hornbill
Hornbills are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly-colored and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandible. Both the common English and the scientific name of the family...
species have "casques", decorative growths on the upper mandible of the bill. In most, the casque has a spongy structure, but in the Helmeted Hornbill it is solid keratin
Keratin
Keratin refers to a family of fibrous structural proteins. Keratin is the key of structural material making up the outer layer of human skin. It is also the key structural component of hair and nails...
. This material, hornbill ivory, has a texture suggesting ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
but is softer. As it grows it is golden yellow, but the bird rubs its casque on its preen gland, whose oily secretion tints the surface of the casque bright red.
Native peoples in the Helmeted Hornbill's range, such as the Kenyah and Kelabit, have long carved the casques. In Malaysia, hornbill-ivory rings were said to change colour when near poisonous food.http://www.ivoryhound.com/articles_hornbill_ivory.htm The Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
encountered the material in the 14th century and it soon became an important trade item at Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
. According to Tom Harrisson
Tom Harrisson
Major Tom Harnett Harrisson DSO OBE was a British polymath. In the course of his life he was an ornithologist, explorer, journalist, broadcaster, soldier, guerrilla, ethnologist, museum curator, archaeologist, documentarian, film-maker, conservationist, and writer...
, writing in the first (1960) edition of The Birds of Borneo:
"It is likely that the casques were mainly exported raw, and worked with a heat treatment and pressing - of which no detailed description survives - in China, to preserve and heighten the lovely deep golden and surface red patina of the fresh ivory. The Chinese probably got the idea of using ho-ting from the Dayaks, then improved the technique at their end. The uses of hornbill casques in Borneo are various and frequently effective; we will discuss those presently. While the Borneo usages persist to this day, all trace of the art of the Chinese carver seems to have vanished. Very little has survived of a remarkable craft which undoubtedly paid for many of the old jars, plates, and beads still decorating the longhouses or wives of better-off Bornean pagans many generations later."
During the Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, the Chinese valued hornbill ivory above true ivory or jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
. They carved the casques, or they made them into sheets, coloured them with the secretion of the preen gland, and made them into belt buckle
Belt buckle
A belt buckle is a buckle, a clasp for fastening two ends, as of straps or a belt, in which a device attached to one of the ends is fitted or coupled to the other. The word enters Middle English via Old French and the Latin buccula or "cheek-strap," as for a helmet...
s for high officials. They called hornbill ivory hèdǐng (Wade-Giles ho-ting), which is said to be their approximation of an indigenous namehttp://www.ivoryhound.com/articles_hornbill_ivory.htm (but means "crane head", and thus many Chinese thought the substance came from a crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
rather than a hornbill). The Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese also carved imported hornbill ivory into such objects as netsuke
Netsuke
Netsuke are miniature sculptures that were invented in 17th-century Japan to serve a practical function...
.
By the early 20th century, the Helmeted Hornbill became rare because it was slaughtered for its casque. Now legal trade in hornbill ivory is limited to certified antiques, and hornbill-ivory carvings are more valuable than those of any true ivory.http://www.acstones.com/gemofmonth/2005/gemofmonth.03.05.html
External links
- Page from the Ivoryhound
- Page from Gem of the Month
- Photographs and description of a Bornean carving from ArtAreas showing the red rim colored by preen-gland secretions