Figure of a man, MG 025

A small ivory carving of a man seated on a narrow bench draped in fabric. The seat is rectangular with a rounded top and partial low straight back. Fabric is draped in folds over the front of the bench and hangs straight down the back. The man is seated with one leg (now missing) out to the side and an arm (now missing) stretched to the same side. Both arms are missing from below the shoulder. The man has well defined muscles in his leg and his foot is shod in openwork sandals tied in wrappings which reach up around his shins. He is dressed in a classical style, knee length toga draped over his left shoulder. A narrow belt is secured around his waist. He appears to not be wearing a tunic. He is bearded and his hair reaches to the nape of his neck and is curled around the fringe and ends. The carving is in the classical style and dates to the seventeenth or eighteenth century. This period saw a revival in ivory carving in Germany and Flanders during the Baroque period. But demand quickly diminished.