A Chinese mammoth tooth, probable representation of a scholar's mountain or to be used as a brush rest, 18th century or earlier, 10.2cms high. 
 
Who wouldn’t want a mammoth’s tooth in their house?  Imagine that span of time. This was part of a collection made in the 20th century and recently dispersed.  Chinese pieces carved from mammoth ivory are quite regular finds – this piece is particularly satisfactory because it is still so clearly a tooth after being worked to fulfil a different function. The Chinese scholar drew inspiration from the natural world; he did not go out into nature to paint or compose poetry but worked in the peace and seclusion of his studio and used representations of mountains and nature as inspiration for his work.