The Towneley Collection > The Companion of Apollo

George Eastwood (1839 – 1906) was a Victorian globetrotter, amassing a wonderful collection of over 120 ivories as he travelled the world.

Made in Europe, Asia and Africa, these objects range in date from the 17th – 19th Centuries, and are mostly carved in elephant ivory.

This example depicts an allegorical figure, inspired by Greek mythology. Eastwood was one of Towneley’s early benefactors. He was born in Burnley about 1840.

Before he moved to Manchester, his early life was spent working in a cotton mill. In Manchester he worked for a company, that he later
owned, which staged and decorated events.

He loaned his collection of ivories to Towneley when the museum opened in 1903, but upon his death three years later he generously bequeathed the entire collection.