Empire ivory and gilded silver carving - possibly Italy, ca. 1810

carved elephant ivory (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach, 1797 or Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758) with gilded silver feet and applications.
The body, entirely carved with convivial scenes, is engraved with the inscription 'Πασιτελης', which can probably be likened to the ancient Greek sculptor, toreuta and writer Pasitele (active in southern Italy in the 1st century b.C.).
The lid is topped with a representation of Priapus, an ancient Greek and Roman deity usually depicted as a small bearded man with an enormous phallus; Priapus was a symbol of the sexual instinct and male fertility and was the protector of nature and guardian of gardens and orchards; lifting the lid reveals a further phallic representation.
Height x width x depth: 15.2 x 5 x 6 cm. Weight: 326 g.
Item condition grading: ***** excellent.
Accompanied by CITES certificate.

This lot is available for sale only with shipments within the European Union; the CITES certificate for export outside the European Community can only be requested for lots sold to museums.