“Devil’s Work” ball with fourteen movable balls

Made for export to Europe, balls such as this demanded exceptional artisanship. Several openings were drilled in a solid ivory ball, reaching almost to the center, and then special tools were used to loosen the innermost ball and carve a design in it. Successive balls were loosened and carved in the same way, each one moving freely inside the other. The outer ball is the most intricately carved, and the long chain is crafted from a single piece of ivory.