1898

Elephant’s Tusk

South Africa, before 1898

However, the collection contained much more than «antiquities» in the first years. Works of art and natural objects were also collected. The different areas of the collection were separated only in 1919, leading to the founding of the Bündner Naturmuseum and the Art Museum Graubünden as independent institutions.

In the so-called «Naturalienkabinett» (Natural History Cabinet) exhibits were at first not exclusively confined to objects with a connection to Graubünden as well. How this elephant’s tusk found its way into the collection is impossible to retrace today.This fact alone means that an object such as this would no longer be accepted by the Museum. Moreover, the Washington Convention prohibiting the ivory trade has been in effect since 1973.