It is genuine ivory! It has a curved glass. Metal insert is brass. Minor discoloration and cracks in frame are due to age. It has a simple metal loop for a hanger. THIS ITEM HAS NOT BEEN OPENED! I did not attempt any repairs to the ivory.

Prior to the advent of photography, portraiture was the means by which a person's likeness was captured and remembered. Miniatures were a popular and affordable way to mark moments in a person's life.

Portraits on ivory demanded precision and advanced artistic technique. Ivory was a difficult material to manipulate and precise techniques for scratching the ivory and applying colors were unique to each artist. An artists pattern of cross-hatches, stipples, concentric lines, and washes were distinctive. " Like fingerprints that they resemble, these identifiable patterns form a basis of attribution according to Kathleen Eagen Johnson in Beloved Keepsakes.