Featured Carved Monk Help

Hi All,
I picked this fellow up today, trying to determine where he is from and the type of wood. He is very dark so I lightened some of the photos. Tourist piece from somewhere? Has some age or just off the boat from somewhere? It feels good if that makes any sense, the wood is very smooth.
any information appreciated
thanks for looking

 

Spanish I think

 

wonderful, thank-you blooey, I'll see what I can find

 

I agree, Spain.

 

hi cx, there are a few carvings online of figures reading holy books, but i think yours is older than them

i thought possibly black forest, but maybe wrong

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/367747125800911968/?lp=true

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...hUIHSnOAiQ4ZBAzKAIwAnoECAEQAw&iact=mrc&uact=8

 

Not necessarily. It is difficult to tell the age, since the general look suggests age. They are still being made and sold in Spanish souvenir shops.

That is the problem with many sellers, they call any dark wood carving Black Forest, when most of them aren't.
The carvings which are associated with the Black Forest have more detail and are mostly of animals and other nature related subjects. Not all were made in the Black Forest, many were made in Switzerland.

 

These were all the rage in the 60s -70s. My roomie in Denver collected these ( he was going to be a priest) .I always liked them .

 

Agree with origin and date range.

Debora

 

The makers of these sometimes singe (that's singe/burn not sign!) the wood on these too ..the 70's name for wood treated that way was "torched" wood.