Mammoth tusks excavated from ice layers have undergone at least thousands of years of precipitation. By removing the discolored surface skin, mammoth tusk can still present a gentle, bright and warm lustre, which is similar to that of modern ivory. Such natural lustre is favored by some artists, with which exquisite crafts can be carved out, and this is the so-called the plain carving. By exploiting the characteristics of the mammoth tusk,  some artists on the other hand prefer to color the tusk directly, so as to make the mammoth tusk, organic gemstones,  glow with vibrant colors, and this is what we call colored carving. From time immemorial, traditional tusk carving artworks are divided into plain carvings and colored carvings, but what on earth is the distinction between them?

Plain carving is more common. Due to the milky white color of superior mammoth tusk, as well as its warm and gentle texture and clear lustre, artists prefer to carve it into exquisite artworks without adding redundant colors on it, and from the pure color which is congenital for the raw material, we can sense the primitive and natural flavor of the mammoth tusk which has been frozen under ice for more than ten thousands years. Compared to modern ivory, mammoth tusk, as a kind of carving raw material with clear and pure lustre, are much more unavailable. Therefore, the fineness of the carving work and the texture quality of the tusk  can be clearly manifested in plain carvings.

 

 

Besides, compared to other carving materials, mammoth tusk, with texture of more absorbent and color-stained, is a kind of superior material for colored carving. A lots of mammoth tusk colored carvings are fairly attractive to the public's attention and are pursued by many people.

 

Coloring of tusk carving appeared as early as in the Tang Dynasty, and the original purpose of coloring is to improve the monotony of color and mask the defects of the tusks themselves. Due to the limitations of the material, there are often shortcomings like uneven coloring and clumps. With the continuous progress of the carving technique, artists today strive more for excellence, and coloring on the mammoth tusk carving is no longer just to mask the defects of the tusk substance, but more to strengthen the decorative effect of them so as to make them more wonderful, beautiful and colorful. But colors fade over time, how can the coloring of tusk carving be more natural and durable?

 

After taking long time painstaking experiments and research, modern artists solve the problem finally. In the normal procedures of tusk carving, a series of basic process such as designing, chiseling, shoveling and grinding are required, and on this basis, more complex processes are added. In order to make its texture more uniform and color more beautiful, the crafts need polishing at the very beginning, and uniform polishing will make coloring more natural and even. Then the patterns of people’ s clothing and hair are carved out stroke by stroke with a carving knife, during which, attention should be paid to the uniformity of the pattern. And finally the coloring materials are dyed into the crafts. Since mammoth tusk are susceptible to dying of oily materials, the longer the time, the darker the color, making the color not easy to fade. After such a treatment, the whole crafts will be more vivid with distinct colors.

 

Colored carving, compared to the plain carving, requires more process. Since the completion of colored carving entails coloring done by every detailed stroke, it takes a lot more labour time and materials to finish an artwork than that of plain carving. So, colored carvings artworks are rare masterpieces for artists who have partiality for colored mammoth tusk carving.