Are these valuable? Possibly time sensitive!

[batcap]

I bought these at auction yesterday. Nobody else bid on them so I got them for $5 each. I actually "won" 3 of these but their new clerk failed to register the first one, so I paid for and took two.
They're made of wood, possibly mahogany. The wood is light but hard; I can't make a dent with a fingernail. They seem to have a combination of an oil finish with some green and gold paint highlights. They are apparently hand carved. There are no indications of who made them on the carvings or the bases. I can't believe that nobody else found these even worth $5.

There were a total of 5 of these. If they are valuable I could probably argue my way into getting the one that I bid on but wasn't registered properly. I could probably get the other two for a bit more. Four of the five were round, only one square one.

Size: they're both about 1.5 inches thick. The square one is 18" tall w/the base. The round one 26" tall. They may have originally been made from a thick plank; you see the grain in the wood going vertically.

Who (what culture) made them? Did they originally serve a different purpose before being mounted?

 

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[cw0909]

batcap are they carved on the other side too, backside

 

[Unicorn]

Those are beautifully carved and definately worth $5. I would suggest that they are part of a piece of furniture, a chair perhaps.

 

[batcap]

batcap are they carved on the other side too, backside

Both sides are virtually identical. Below is the other side of the square one. You need to look hard to even see a difference. One noticeable one is opposite edges adjacent to the center "pearls". the leaf on one side has 2 ridges, the other side has just one. You could say of the square carving that there is now 1 picture of the "front" and 2 pics of the "back".

 

[batcap]

Those are beautifully carved and definately worth $5. I would suggest that they are part of a piece of furniture, a chair perhaps.

That crossed my mind too. I can't find a difference as far as wear or curvature though. Here is some new and troubling information; I can rub off the green and gold highlights with my thumb with little effort.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

They look like the kind of thing a wood carver would have on display in a shop window, but that's just my guess. Pretty though, I'd say a good deal at 10 bucks.

 

[cw0909]

yep worth the 5$ ea. i did a side by side,of the 1st piece you posted, could be for a chair back
or maybe a proto type designs ,for a piece of furniture someone was selling,was there info on
the auction sheet, for how and when acquired

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

First thing they reminded me of is a bed headboard but of course they are not wide enough unless several were somehow used together... I found these wood carvings doing a headboard search but I couldnt pull up the link. My gut feeling is not very valuable but certainly worth $10. I also believe (guess) that they were salvaged from some piece of furniture. http://kanthaidecor.com/resources/P... Flower Wood Carving 12 x 12 set tung oil.jpg

 

[Bramblefind]

Here are some others of a similar concept-

http://www.culturalelements.com/Chinese-Carved-Wood-Lotus-Panel

Product Description
Wooden Lotus Panel on a stand measures 14" H x 3.5" W x 24" L. This carved panel is made in China. A sure conversation piece in your home.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

.

 

[batcap]

Thank you all. I think Bramblefind nailed it with the link to culturalelements.com. Made in China, sells for around $100. It even looks like the same guy could have carved the rectangular one. Time for a green check. Thanks again!