Ivory Mat

Ivory mats were woven in a staggered manner with wires made of ivory softened with a special liquid and then split into filaments according to its natural texture. Mats woven in this way featured herringbone patterns.

The Palace Museum has preserved two ivory mats, both of which were tributes from Guangdong officials during the Qing Dynasty. One was registered when relics were counted on the eve of the establishment of the museum, and the other was discovered by chance in 1978 when the museum rearranged the stock in its warehouse: A staff member noticed that a bundle of straw mats was heavier than expected, and when he opened it, a white mat hidden inside was brought to light. After comparing it with the registered relics, experts confirmed that it was a rare ivory mat.

Mats were mostly made of bamboo. Using ivory to weave mats was a whimsical idea from Qing-dynasty officials to prepare gifts for the emperor. Although momentarily pleased by the gift, Emperor Yongzheng believed that it could cause others to follow suit and seek extravagance, so he issued a decree to prohibit craftsmen in Guangdong from making ivory woven items and officials from presenting such tributes.

Today, the Chinese government has banned the hunting of wild elephants and trade of ivory and its products. Traditional ivory handicraft now continues to be passed on using easily available materials such as ox bones as substitutes.

象牙席

象牙席，是用特制藥水將象牙浸泡軟化后，沿其本身紋理劈成細(xì)絲，再按照“人字紋”交錯編織而成的席。

故宮博物院藏有兩張象牙席，均為清代廣東官員進(jìn)貢之物。其一在建院前夕清點(diǎn)文物時已登記在冊，其二則直到半個世紀(jì)后的1978年，在整理庫房時意外發(fā)現(xiàn)。當(dāng)時，工作人員發(fā)覺一捆草席偏重，打開后看到其中藏著白色席面。經(jīng)過與在冊文物的比對，確認(rèn)白色席面正是罕見的象牙席。

席本是竹制居多，用象牙做席，是清朝大臣為皇帝準(zhǔn)備禮物的奇思異想。雖有一時歡心，但雍正皇帝認(rèn)為“好用此物”會上行下效，引起奢靡之風(fēng)，便明確下旨，禁止廣東地區(qū)工匠再制作、官員再進(jìn)獻(xiàn)象牙編織品。

如今，中國政府已明令禁止捕獵野生象和交易象牙及其制品。象牙加工技藝轉(zhuǎn)而使用牛骨等易得材料繼續(xù)傳承。