KHOLMOGORY, ARKHANGELSK PROVINCE, CIRCA 1820

Carving from walrus and mammoth ivory has a long tradition within popular Russian folk art since the Middle Ages, originating in the northern regions but enjoying greater popularity in the second half of the 18th Century. Several production centers of ivory carving were well known at the time, including Kholmogory, Archangelsk, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. In the second half of the 18th Century the best craftsmen migrated to St. Petersburg to practice their skills. They produced mostly small items such as caskets, work boxes, toilet boxes, and combs.