As a youth Poore was influenced by trips to Europe and was especially fascinated by the old Scottish castles and manor houses. He later sought [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Benjamin Perley Poore

Benjamin Perley Poore (1820 to 1887) was a significant early collector of American antiques. A writer by trade, Poore was born near Newbury, Massachusetts to parents Benjamin and Mary Perley Poore. The family estate called Indian Hill became the showcase for his eclectic assemblage of antiques.

As a youth Poore was influenced by trips to Europe and was especially fascinated by the old Scottish castles and manor houses. He later sought to recreate the romanticism of those Scottish castles and manor houses in Indian Hill, adding turrets and other medieval features to the building. The interior was embellished with architectural elements salvaged from historic buildings in line for demolition or remodeling. According to Elizabeth Stillinger’s The Antiquers, published in 1980, Indian Hill contained paneling from the Old Province House in Boston, which was remodeled in 1851, paneling from the John Hancock House in Boston, which was demolished in 1863, fluted pillars from the Old Brattle Street Church also in Boston, stairs from the Tracy House in Newburyport and a mantel from the Stuyvesant House in New York.i

Poore and his contemporary collectors were fascinated with the historical and political associations of an object over its aesthetic value. He gathered and displayed antiques to tell their story and recreate a romantic image of the past. The aesthetics of a piece was secondary to its historic relevance. Patriotism, romanticism, along with a feeling of nostalgia shaped Poore’s collection.

The interior of Indian Hill was filled with antiques in a wide range of periods and styles. Poore’s vast collection was an eclectic mix of furniture styles from Jacobean to Empire, suits of armor, portraiture, china, pewter and stained glass. He owned a sleigh bed once belonging to Napoleon and many pieces of furniture and china formerly in the White House. The association of these objects with their former owners was of great pride to Poore.ii

Poore would summer at Indian Hill, yet spent the majority of his adult life in Washington, D.C. where he was a well-known and well-connected writer, editor and newspaper correspondent. It was there he served as a Washington correspondent for the Boston Journal, writing a syndicated column that brought him national attention. He was also the editor of the Congressional Directory (1865).iii

Poore passed away in 1887 in Washington. In 1939 the family donated the Indian Hill property to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England). A serious fire in the 1960′s destroyed much of the property.

Bibliography Reference:
Stillinger, Elizabeth. The Antiquers. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.

i. Elizabeth Stillinger, The Antiquers (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980), page 29.
ii. Elizabeth Stillinger, The Antiquers (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980), page 33.
iii. Elizabeth Stillinger, The Antiquers (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980), page 29.

Biographical sketch by p4A.com Contributing Editor Karl Pass.

The austere and forbidding Sonora Desert of the United States and Mexico regularly experiences some of the most extreme weather in the Western Hemisphere. Daytime temperatures often exceed 125 degrees in the shade even as blast-furnace winds swiftly strip life-sustaining water from the few men and animals tough enough and wily enough to make a living in this land of stark, unforgiving beauty. [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Boot of Cortez Gold Nugget

(courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries)

The austere and forbidding Sonora Desert of the United States and Mexico regularly experiences some of the most extreme weather in the Western Hemisphere. Daytime temperatures often exceed 125 degrees in the shade even as blast-furnace winds swiftly strip life-sustaining water from the few men and animals tough enough and wily enough to make a living in this land of stark, unforgiving beauty. Yet life not only goes on here; it sometimes succeeds in ways that cannot be foreseen even in our wildest dreams.

Myths and tales of lost treasure seem to spring into being from out of nowhere. Virtually every remote village has its legends of lost mines and treasure: the Oro de Moctezuma, Tayopa, El Naranjal. Every story is different yet all are the same: A rich deposit of gold or silver is found, and then lost through calamity, treachery or political upheaval. The saga of the “Boot of Cortez” is very much in keeping with all of these tales of discovery and loss, with one exception, the tale is true. The proof is before you.

The story begins in 1989 in the area around Caborca, near the Gran Desierto de Altar in the Mexican state of Sonora. The nearest surface water is the Sea of Cortez; some 60 miles to the west. Arizona is 70 miles to the north. Ranching is the chief occupation, but there are a number of mines in the area along with placer gold deposits in some of the canyons. It is within these dry canyons that a local Mexican man began his quest to find hidden treasure in the form of placer nuggets. Some finds of nuggets had been made in the past, and fired with optimistic enthusiasm; our gold-seeker grew determined to find his share. At this point, our latter-day prospector did something very much at odds with tradition: visiting a Radio Shack store he purchased a metal detector. Practicing on buried coins
and other metal objects, he learned how to operate it, and then he set out for an area that was reported to have produced nuggets.

Once there, he started to walk; slowly and carefully across the desert, all the while following a grid pattern that would ensure that no areas would be unchecked. Hundreds of boring hours slowly ebbed away with an occasional ‘beep’ from his ear-phones to signal a potential find. Most were due to scrap iron or old lead bullets. Then one day; the ‘beep’ sounded a little different. Digging down; he caught that first gleam from his own personal El Dorado. Hardly believing his eyes he kept digging, the gleaming surface kept going and going. By the time he had completely uncovered this incredible nugget, it was obvious that it was huge. Just hauling it back to his home was a chore since it weighed over twelve kilograms. There; a gentle washing removed the last traces of dust left on the surface from its subterranean resting place. Now the enormity of his find engulfed him: What to do with this massive nugget, shaped like the boot of a conquistador of old? Who could help him with advice regarding the ways of selling such a thing? Ah, but of course, the Patron. He would know. And he did.

Since that fateful day in the Desierto, the “Boot of Cortez” has passed through a number of hands and has been marveled at by hundreds of thousands of museum-goers. It was one of the star exhibits at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show in 2004, the theme of which was simply: “Gold”. Based on its enthusiastic response by the public, the owner of the “Boot” was solicited to place it on loan for the traveling “Gold” exhibition assembled by the Houston Museum of Natural Science where it was exhibited in 2005, along with other notable specimens from: the Smithsonian, Harvard and other major collections. The exhibition then moved to the American Museum of Natural History in 2006 where it opened to rave reviews by collectors and casual visitors alike. After almost a year in New York City, the exhibition recently closed in August 2007.

Strictly speaking, the term “ivory” refers only to the whitish-yellow material that makes up the tusks of mammals, such as elephants and walruses. Other related materials, such as that which comprises the teeth of sperm whales and, upon occasion, hippopotamuses, is often called ivory, but technically, is not. Two other related types of material are the ivory from the East Indian [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Types of Ivory and the Legalities of the Ivory Trade

What is Ivory?

Strictly speaking, the term “ivory” refers only to the whitish-yellow material that makes up the tusks of mammals, such as elephants and walruses. Other related materials, such as that which comprises the teeth of sperm whales and, upon occasion, hippopotamuses, is often called ivory, but technically, is not. Two other related types of material are the ivory from the East Indian hornbill, as well as the hardened cellulose that makes up the inner seed of the South American ivory palm tree, often called “vegetable ivory.”

Synthetic ivory has been around since the middle of the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, plastics, from early celluloid to modern resin, have also been used as ivory substitutes.

In the antiques marketplace, one typically sees ivory (hereafter referring to ivory in the most general sense) in one of several major areas:

Fine carvings and objects of vertu originating in Asia and sometimes Europe. These are most often made of elephant ivory. Probably the commonest type of ivory objects in the marketplace, this group includes Chinese ivory carvings (such as Buddhas and puzzle balls), Japanese netsukes, as well as European figures (often religious in nature) and calling card cases.

Folk art items carved by sailors, called scrimshaw. The heyday of the scrimshander was the nineteenth century. Sailors passed the time on the long whaling voyages carving images on the teeth of the sperm whales they hunted, and often created household objects, such as swifts and pie crimpers (jagging wheels), and keepsakes, such as boxes and whimsies, for loved ones at home out of whale bone.

Tribal objects from cultures around the world. From the African bush to the Aleutian Islands, tribal cultures that, historically, have had access to ivory have created all manner of utilitarian, decorative, and ceremonial objects from it. As one might expect, cultures in Asia and Africa have traditionally used elephant ivory, while coastal cultures, particularly those in the far northern hemisphere, have used the tusks and teeth of marine mammals.

Decorative material. The use of ivory for buttons, inlay on furniture, finials on baskets, feet on boxes, and countless other ways, has been practiced on nearly every continent and for hundreds of years.

Because of conservation efforts, there are federal laws that limit the buying and selling of ivory objects. These laws can be rather complex, but here are a couple of the important points:

1. The Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, enacted in 1973 and 1972 respectively, forbid the importation or exportation of ivory that was not one hundred years old when the acts took effect.

2. The buying and selling of non-antique ivory (ivory that post-dates 1872/3) is legal provided that the animal was removed from the wild before it was placed on the Endangered Species List or otherwise protected. For example, ivory from an Asian elephant that was taken prior to 1976, when the Asian Elephant was placed on the ESL, is legal to own, buy and sell. Any ivory taken after the species gained protected status is illegal.

Please note, there may be restrictions on the sale or transport of pre-Act ivory across state lines. For more information, visit the United States Fish and Wildlife Service website: www.fws.gov.

Disclaimer: This information was not prepared by an attorney and is for informational purposes only. p4A does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or usefulness of the information regarding the legality of owning, buying, and selling ivory. If you have questions about ivory-related laws, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or an attorney. If you are unsure if an object you own is ivory and if it is “antique”, you should consult an expert (such as an appraiser, auctioneer, dealer, or museum curator) who has experience handling ivory.