Description

This decorative mermaid sculpture of ivory shows great skill in carving- from the head to the tail. The carving of fish-scales is incredibly consistent, while the detailing in the upper torso is also noticeable. One finds two arms with carved fingers, while facial features are also visible, with the jewellery on the chest. On a closer look, the texture of the clothing has also been highlighted via carving. The clothing reveals newer influences in style, indicating that the carving is from the medieval period onwards. A hole above the headgear also indicates potential use in utilitarian objects, like blades, skewers, knives etc. Yet this classification is tenuous, and the object was likely decorative, and at best used ritually.