Hello, Donna,
Have enjoyed your column for years in the Hippo. The photos will show a carving of some type that my grandfather bought back from France during WWI in 1919. It appears to be ivory or marble. It’s approximately 5 inches in diameter. The frame is a dark hardwood with a curved glass top. Any idea on rarity or value?
Thanks.
Gene
Dear Gene,
Thank you for reading the Hippo and my column.
What you have is a Victorian era (last part of the 1800s) carved meerschaum in a convex glass frame. Meerschaum is a form of clay that was used for lots of smoking pipe carvings.
Your carving is of a religious subject and most ones I found to compare it to ran in the $200 range. I found some in a higher range but on average the ones marketing were in that range. Some of the meerschaum carvings that had other subjects and details also brought more. Value depends on the condition of the inside carving, glass and frame.
Thank you for sharing and I hope this helped.
