These are the rarest of all the bucket species. Very few ivory buckets remain in the world, and each one is a priceless relic.
These buckets were each carved from a single elephant tusk by a highly skilled ivory craftsman. The only remaining four examples are all from the 10th century, commissioned by the Catholic church for their cathedrals.
Ivory buckets were too precious to be used for ordinary worship services of course! These fanciest of fancy buckets were only used during certain special ceremonies, and only to hold the most special of waters – holy water.
