Rare Channel Islands Portrait Brooch of Jersey Silversmith, John Le Gallais

Rare Channel Islands miniature portrait of the jersey…
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Rare Channel Islands miniature portrait of the jersey silversmith, John Le Gallais, hand-painted on ivory, signed at left 'H. Bertian 1838' and mounted in yellow gold as a brooch. The reverse adorned with mourning window containing four locks of his childrens hair, all individually initialled in gold, housed in original red leather plush fitted box branded 'J. Le Gallais late de Gruchy. Goldsmith and Jeweller, 2 Brook Street Jersey'. Accompanied by a photogravure portrait brooch of his wife, Eliza Le Gallais, also mounted in gold. With a hand-written note 'Eliza Le Gallais (nee Le Ballie) (my great grandmother), wife of John Le Gallais'. 5.5 cm and 4.5 cm high. John Le Gallais, goldsmith, jeweller, watch and clockmaker, is first recorded in partnership with Thomas de Gruchy in 1831, and had perhaps been his apprentice. He acquired de Gruchy's share of the business on his death in 1846, and continued with it until 1874 when he sold out to Holinshed. A prolific maker of spoons and overmarker of those made by others, his best known product is a medallion struck to commemorate the Royal visit of 1846. Other members of his family are found in banking 1817-1846, William George Le Gallais trading as the jersey bank 1843-1846. His work is well represented in the Gregg collection.

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  • Ivory - Ivory is a hard white material that comes from the tusks of elephants, mammoth, walrus and boar, or from the teeth of hippopotamus and whales. The ivory from the African elephant is the most prized source of ivory. Although the mammoth is extinct, tusks are still being unearthed in Russia and offered for sale.

    Ivory has been used since the earliest times as a material for sculpture of small items, both in Europe and the east, principally China and Japan.

    In Asia ivory has been carved for netsuke, seals, okimono, card cases, fan supports, animals and other figures and even as carved tusks.

    In the last 200 years in Europe ivory has been used to carve figures, for elaborate tankards, snuff boxes, cane handles, embroidery and sewing accessories, in jewellery and as inlay on furniture. Its more practical uses include being used for billiard balls, buttons, and a veneers on the top of piano keys.

    The use and trade of elephant ivory have become controversial because they have contributed to Due to the decline in elephant populations because of the trade in ivory, the Asian elephant was placed on Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in 1975, and in January 1990, the African elephant was similarly listed. Under Appendix One, international trade in Asian or African elephant ivory between member countries is forbidden. Unlike trade in elephant tusks, trade in mammoth tusks is legal.

    Since the invention of plastics, there have been many attempts to create an artificial ivory

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