Kopfstütze
- Sudan [Land]; [historische Bezeichnung] Bellet-Sudan [Region]
- Königliche Preußische Kunstkammer, Ethnografische Abteilung (Previous owner, attribution uncertain); Ferdinand Werne (Collector)
The company Burroughes and Watts, established in London in 1836, was one of the largest specialists for billiard accessories. The proprietor is shown here reclining on a heap of 20,000 billiard balls, which cost the lives of around 2,500 elephants. Each year the company produced 10,000 to 12,000 balls, but because the material dried out slowly they had to be stored for two to three years and then turned on the lathe once more before they could be sold. At that point in history, billiard balls were among the main products made of ivory.