$750.00
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Mid 20th Century
5.125" H x 2.125" x 1.75" D
Hand Carved from Eskimo Ivory of a Large Statue with Painted Black Facial Details
Excellent Condition
Ivory Billikens Statues are the famous Billiken, the "God of Things as They Ought to Be," a popular good-luck charm figure created in the early 1900s. Designed in 1908 by American art teacher and illustrator Florence Pretz in Kansas City, Missouri. A chubby, smiling, elf-like figure with pointed ears, often sitting with legs extended, hands on belly or knees. Early versions were made in ivory, terracotta, or composition; later mass-produced in plastic, metal, etc. Became a global mascot—most famously for Saint Louis University (SLU), where the sports teams are called the Billikens. Genuine ivory Billikens from the 1910s–1920s are collectible antiques.
Provenance: From the Len and Toni Wood Private Collection, Laguna Beach, California
Condition:
Excellent
Tribe:
Eskimo - Inuit - Yup'ik
Year Range:
1925 - 1950
Region:
Inuit
Dimensions:
5.13 in2.13 in1.75 in
Category:
Ivory, Antler & Bone Figures and Carvings
