Ivory sculpture depicting a mountain scene enclosed in a clamshell with waterfall (on back of carving), possibly indicating cycle of life. The symbolic importance of the static feature of the mountain enclosed in the sea shell combined with the dynamic flow of water at the apex of the shell offers a ground for the cyclic nature of human life. A Taoist legend suggests that the youth, as portrayed at the base of the waterfall, (on the back of the carving) progresses through the stages of life as he ascends the mountain to a hermitage for old age at the top. The waterfall renews the cycle. Aquired in Singapore - "Moon Gate", 1957.