Hippopotamus ivory teeth, lower denture on stand, England, 1795

Made:
1795 in England
Hippopotamus ivory teeth, lower denture on stand, England, 1795 Hippopotamus ivory teeth, lower denture on stand, England, 1795 Hippopotamus ivory teeth, lower denture on stand, England, 1795 Hippopotamus ivory teeth, lower denture on stand, England, 1795 Hippopotamus ivory teeth, lower denture on stand, England, 1795 Hippopotamus ivory teeth, lower denture on stand, England, 1795

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Lower denture of hippopotamus ivory, on ceramic stand

These carefully carved dentures show the best dentists produced fine work. This is denser than both elephant and walrus ivory. It is more hardwearing and appropriate for dental use. Ivory was difficult to clean. It deteriorated over time and smelt unpleasant. Only wealthy patients such as royalty and the upper classes could afford ivory dentures.

The porcelain display holders are carved with the motif of the Prince of Wales’ feathers. They are sometimes called Ruspini holders, after Bartholomew Ruspini (1728-1813). He trained as a dentist in France and moved to London in 1766. His patients included the Prince of Wales, later King George IV. The lower dentures (A71862) are pictured here with their upper denture partners (A71861).

Details

Category:
Dentistry
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A71862
Materials:
ivory, china, ceramic (unspecified) and complete
Measurements:
depth: 81mm
height: 54mm
width: 71mm
overall (teeth): 18 mm x 63 mm x 46 mm, 0.017 kg
overall (stand): 4 mm x 83 mm x 73 mm, 0.092 kg
type:
denture
credit:
Brown, H.C.