IVORY WHIST COUNTERS

Ivory Whist Counters

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Intricately carved Goodall type ivory whist counters were made in Japan in the 1890s. These same carved monkeys also appear on other export items of this period -- boxes, letter openers, vases, etc.

The counters directly below began with a block of ivory that was probably about 1/8 inch higher than the present surface. The piece was then carved down to leave the monkeys in relief. It took a great amount of time and skill to create such a piece, and ivory was an expensive and rare material, making these the most valuable and desirable type of ivory counters.

MONKEY RELIEF COUNTERS

My hunch is that all Monkey counters were made in the same "factory." Such a factory would have consisted of several master carvers and some less experienced carvers and apprentices who worked on the peg carvings until they were skilled enough to undertake an entire face, whether a relief masterpiece or intaglio pieces such as the ones below. It's interesting to note that the pegs on the counter in the center above are much better carved than the pegs on the left hand counter. And the counter on the right has a surprise of its own: click here to see it.

Intaglio carving -- etching the design into the surface -- was also employed on Japanese counters. While less involved than relief carving, intaglio still demanded a high degree of skill and artistry. The pair below show an adult monkey patiently watching over two monkey children. Note that the carving of the skinny pegs is more dimensional -- technically better -- than on the pegs of the counters above.

MONKEY INTAGLIO PAIR

Counters were originally sold in pairs, but in the Japanese "Monkey Factory" some pieces may have been "mixed and matched" rather than made together as pairs. Pairs also became separated over the years. The MONKEY RELIEF COUNTERS above have peg carvings of totally different quality, so it is obvious that they are not a true pair like the MONKEY INTAGLIO PAIR. You can tell that the MONKEY INTAGLIO PAIR are a true pair not only by the carving and color of the ivory but by the side treatments. The pegs worked on an internal hinge, the only visible feature of which was the end of the metal hinging rod that came out each side. On the MONKEY RELIEF COUNTERS the rods are hidden by ivory plugs -- you can see this clearly where one plug has fallen out (you can also see the characteristic Schreger lines that tell us that this is elephant ivory).

SIDE VIEW - MONKEY RELIEF COUNTERS

However, the MONKEY INTAGLIO PAIR, which is theoretically not as "good" as the MONKEY RELIEF COUNTERS, employ a much more sophisticated technique to hide the metal hinging rod. In addition to the ivory plug, the area around the hinge is carved into a charming little design. It is this incredible attention to detail that characterizes these Japanese craftsmen. Note that one of the plugs has come out on this counter, too. Ivory shrinks over the years, which can also be seen in the bowing of the upper plate of counters in both side views. These counters only have the illusion of being solid blocks of ivory. The actual monkey carvings were done on separate rectangular ivory plates which were then inserted into the solid body after the internal hinges had been installed.

SIDE VIEW - MONKEY INTAGLIO PAIR

Below are three more MONKEY INTAGLIO COUNTERS. In the one on the right the young monkey is playing with some crabs, while the adult is looking on with an expression that seems to be saying, "In a minute this idiot is going to his finger pinched in a claw."

MONKEY INTAGLIO COUNTERS

Two of these counters also have interesting treatments to conceal the internal hinge, one using gold lacquer. Notice how the bottom counter is beginning to bow with age, a natural event with ivory.

SIDE VIEW - MONKEY INTAGLIO COUNTERS

Shibayama treatments were also employed in ivory counters, probably at a different "factory" than the one that produced the monkey counters. It is very difficult to find Shibayama ivory counters in perfect condition, while most ivory monkey counters have not cracked, broken or separated. On the pair below (which I'll probably replace if I can ever find a pair in better condition at a good price), there are numerous losses in the Shibayama and cracks and repairs in the ivory body..

SHIBAYAMA IVORY PAIR

My theory is that the Shibayama Factory employed different techniques than the Monkey Factory in assembling the pieces or perhaps they were using a cheaper or thinner grade of ivory that shrank more dramatically as it aged. Evidence supporting this latter explanation is the intricately carved back on the Shibayama ivory counter below (the carving extends up the sides by the way). It's nice to think that the Japanese craftsman here were just applying their usual incredible attention to detail, but it's more likely that the back had to be carved to conceal defects in the basic material. Note too, that the plate on the counter below is separating from the body. On the SHIBAYAMA IVORY PAIR above, tiny irregularly placed rivets on the faces are employed to prevent this, but the carved plates of the counters still show breaks and repairs.

SHIBAYAMA IVORY COUNTER - FRONT AND BACK

Of course ivory was also employed in England, most notably for the pegs (or "turnups" as Goodall called them). See Wood Whist Counters for many examples of ivory pegs. Ivory was also used on bodies. On the counter below, the tortoise shell pegs of which are in pretty bad shape, the ivory body and sides are decorated in an incised design. But the ivory is not solid as in the Japanese counters. It is just a veneer, as you can see from the sides where it has fallen off.

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