Hornbill skull

Rare object, much sought after by collectors. The head has a carved bas-relief scene depicting a deity in a palanquin drawn by a dragon. This bird is a subspecies of the Hornbill that has a red horn on the beak, with a texture similar to ivory. The use of the hornbill horn became very popular in China and the East Indies, especially from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) where it was used to carve artefacts held or offered as a symbol of power and status, although the first records identify its use in China as early as the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Due to its rarity, the Chinese considered hornbill ivory more valuable than gold, jade, or real ivory. Sculptures like this were also widely traded, or offered as tributes, by Chinese travelers in the West. In such a way that this bird, currently protected, was practically extinct.