Ebony

To honor the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, Master Carver Peter Calvesbert has carved the Democrat and Republican mascots, both popularized by 19th century editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast. Peter’s political animals – “Ebony” the donkey and “Ivory” the elephant - are stand-alone pieces, but the shape of their bases allows them to face off in head-to-head battle. At the time of carving, the Democrats were still undecided who should lead them into the election, so both Barack and Hillary get a mention in the donkey. However, the letter B is atop the letter H due to Obama’s lead. The inscriptions on the donkey lid mark the passing of Humphrey Lyttelton. A famous British jazz musician, he was also known as chairman of “I’m sorry I haven’t a clue”, a BBC series describing itself as “an antidote to panel shows” and simply the funniest thing on radio. It began in 1972 and has become an English institution.