11-inch African Wood Carving (All you know, please. Thanks.)

does it come with batteries?

 

Just one car battery.

 

zzzzzap!!!! Yikes!

 

I don't know why , but I thought a cane handle . Is there a hole in the bottom ? I think its probably just a tourist piece , but it is cool looking and seems to have a little age on it .

 

owww...that's nasty !!

 

Johnny. Thanks.
Here's a picture of the bottom.
What kind of wood do you think it is?

 

Eeeek. I hope that's not what it's been used for and he's touching it.

 

Looks like ebony to me and it's probably heavy for it's size is my guess.

 

Thanks, Kevin.
It is, in fact, heavy for its size.
I had been thinking maybe African Blackwood, because it has a purplish coloring I read about. I also read African Blackwood was once classified as an ebony. And that ebony can be purplish. So, unsure what it is exactly. Why do you lean to ebony?

 

Johnny and others,
I'm also curious why I can't find much else like it online. It seems like there are a lot of intricate "tree of life" carvings, and lots of primitive-looking pieces, but nothing quite like this. You'd think there'd be a lot of them. Especially if it's a contemporary tourist piece. Thanks. The closest I've found (and maybe the only thing) is the following: http://www.ebay.com/itm/19-VINTAGE-...e278bc&pid=100011&rk=1&rkt=10&sd=331457313879
But it doesn't seem African, and somebody told me they didn't think the same person carved it.

 

You'd think there'd be a lot of them. Especially if it's a contemporary tourist piece

There's the rub.....those kind of items don't usually get posted on the search engines and if they do they make it on the 50th page.

 

Chucktell, here's a couple of African ebony wood carvings I have that are still on the branches which I'm particularly fond of which demonstrates the color of the wood on two different branches of 2 different trees.

The first one is a newer carving which shows the variants of the color of the wood from the outside of the branch in towards the center as the figure is carved which may be closer to the type of branch yours was carved from. The second one is a much older carving which I think the artist may have intentionally left the top part of the branch to act as part of the art.

 

Kevin,
Thanks for the two ebony examples. Very nice.
Chuck

 

Komokwa,
I still don't understand why you don't see more (any) of my type of item on ebay. Everything's on ebay. I guess tourists get really attached to their souvenirs.
Thanks,
Chuck

 

Everything's not on eBlech...at least not all in the same month.
Maybe there were a few of these listed in Aug 2011, and July 2005, and Feb 1999...& you'll never see those ....even on Google or Bing or where ever.

African art is a multi billion dollar market & just finding low end tourist items like these on he web is hit or miss at the best of times.
Did you search...
African dildo
wood dildo
african totem pole
wood carved face & bird
Nice face carving
ect...ect.....

& even then.....

 

Thanks, Komokwa.

 

All,
I just found out this is ebony. And that it's not a tourist piece. It's a quality cultural museum piece from the 70s. Probably Kenya or Tanzania. Thanks again, everybody.
Chuck

 

Ya don't say !

 

Say!