Featured Metal Figures Brass?

Hi All,
I picked up this group of figures, trying to determine what they are. Not sure of the metal, does not attract a magnet, brass, bronze or maybe a spelter type of material? The tallest one is 4 1/2"H including the base. Is it possible to identify the wood used for the base? They remind of some chess figures I had, I think those were African.
Any ideas appreciated
thanks for looking

 

They look like lost wax brass castings produced by the Dhokra of West Bengal, India.

 

Charming @cxgirl

 

thank-you 2manybooks off to the land of google

 

thanks scoutshouse

 

my guess would be Ashanti / Asante Akan bronze figures.
Maybe somewhere else in Ghana ......or just so new ...I don't recognize them .

They are not gold weights.....

 

I agree, they have a Dhokra look.
We have been getting a few of those not quite traditional Dhokra figurines lately. Not quite modern Dhokra that I know of either. Could there be a neighbouring tribe which has started to make similar things?

 

I don't think Ashanti. I have some and they're quite different in technique and figural detail.

 

thank-you komokwa, AJ and bear for your replies
From poking around I'm leaning to them being Dhokra folk art pieces. It was interesting reading about the process to make one of these pieces, because the mould is broken no two pieces are ever the same

 

like I said....I don't recognize them.....but I looked at a lot of Dhokra...and just couldn't place them.
Like AJ said.....she couldn't place them either......but they do look rather new...

 

yup, I agree

 

They do look alike made from the Dhokra technique.

 

thank-you axelrich

 

I agree, they look similar to Dhokra, the same technique.
My vote would be for the same region in northeast India, and possibly actual Dhokra made.

 

And I have the same feeling... they don't look like Dhokra to me. Sure, some of the same techniques...

Like @komokwa , my initial twitch was Ashanti (but not really, but maybe, but not really... I don't know Ashanti well enough to make that call).

The faces, made with gouges... just not right. They are like the most recent piece where we had this same conversation, though.

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/need-help-to-id-this-statue.35830/

 

That was the one I meant. Couldn't face looking for it though. Let's just say the 'antique Persian Ottoman warrior statue'(...) is not my taste. (Desperately trying to be diplomatic here.)

 

I've googled my fingers sore trying to find other figures with faces like these (on the "Persian Ottoman Warrior" episode) and was unsuccessful.

Now these are here -- so many differences from the PO Warrior, but those faces (particularly in comparison to the one @i need help found).

 

thanks AJ and Jivvy for your replies
I agree, the faces on mine are crude compared to the examples in the link below
https://www.craftsvilla.com/blog/dhokra-art-metal-casting-technique-from-west-bengal/

while searching I thought I found some examples like mine, will have to go back and see if I can find them again
here are 3 more figures I picked up yesterday, no bases on them






here is a photo of 1 from the original group and 2 from the new group - they look the same to me

 

I don't think they're so much "crude" as wrong for dhokra. Okay, "crude" too.

I looked through Indian Folk Bronzes (K C Aryan) and find no examples with this style of eyes and/or mouth.

Plus... the ears/earrings (or lack thereof) are all wrong.

I even looked through "made now" pieces at Amazon (and some India based sites) -- your pieces just don't ring true for any other dhokra I can find.

Totally open to being wrong, of course.

 

thanks for going through your book Jivvy I hope you don't think I was saying you were wrong, that wasn't my intent
Yes, crude is probably the wrong word to use, 'style of eyes and mouths' is better.
Thanks for pointing out the lack of earrings, I hadn't noticed!
I have to stay home while waiting for the plumber to show up, sometime between 10am-4pm, so I'll be able to do some more searching
These little figures are all new to me, so it is interesting to figure them out.