A pair of Venetian narwhal tusk lanterns auctioned for £18,000 ($28,634) at Louis Taylor Fine Art Auctioneers in the UK on September 9-10.
The lamps, which sold for considerably more than their £5,000-8,000 ($7,954-12,726) estimate, are believed to have been used as decorative lights for a gondola or sedan chair around the early part of the 19th century.
 The lanterns originate from Venice |
Constructed from ornate metal and narwhal tusk, the lanterns stand around 6ft high.
The auction house's Clive Hillier told the Antiques Trade Gazette, a weekly publication for the antiques market: "I kept the estimate down to £5,000-8,000 (large unworked narwhal tusks can bring this much on their own). But they were so original, in very good condition and just the thing for the decorative market that I expected them to make more."
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