Help with wood carving

[jtw1313]

I think this is African.....wood is almost like stone not ironwood....seems to have a black paint and maybe white not sure though......seems very old

 

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[tamrock]

I'm guessing African and it does look like its been around awhile.

 

[Red-Coat]

Hi James

I would say it’s a Tanzanian ‘Princess’ carving. It might have been made as a bust or was once part of a larger full figure which has been cut down, broken, or was assembled in several parts with the glue having failed over time.



The above is from the 20th Century. Yours might just be into the 19th Century but still likely made for the collector market when primitive ‘Africana’ was in vogue.

 

[unclemac]

i don't know how old....I used to watch this fellow on ebay that would buy something, usually modern made Native American gear, rough it up, leave it outside for 3 months or so and then re-sell it on ebay as "old rez" barn finds. You could track his purchases and sales in those days ... but of course ebay has since made that hard to do.

 

[Red-Coat]

i don't know how old....I used to watch this fellow on ebay that would buy something, usually modern made Native American gear, rough it up, leave it outside for 3 months or so and then re-sell it on ebay as "old rez" barn finds. You could track his purchases and sales in those days ... but of course ebay has since made that hard to do.

Yes, the carvers of these pieces weren't slow to realise that Victorian and Edwardian collectors paid a higher price for items that looked old. Outdoor weathering of pieces was common and they were often also distressed by whipping with a chain. In more recent times, they used a bicycle chain. Bronze pieces often spent a few weeks buried in a dung-heap before they reached the market.

 

[jtw1313]

Thank you guys

 

[GoldieLocks]

I feel like it might be Nigerian?

 

[Doubter in MD]

Based on the mottling I was thinking Michael Jackson.