Mini 1" Carving artist signed - unsure of material

I love carvings wood and bone especially. This was a purchase I made from a jewelry dealer, but he was unsure of many things. I was given a great discount because the dealer was unsure of age material and the identity of the artist. It's very tiny at @ 1" tall and was originally marked $270.00. I paid about a third that with the other items I picked up. It does have a number on the bottom but the jeweler said he thought it was much older and said the item was carved from bone or walrus tooth.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

My guess would be Zuni, antler, made just when it says it was. But @komokwa @Taupou @Mark London may have other thoughts.

 

If EN is Esteban Najera, you've done well.

 

1"?!

Debora

 

E.N. but not quite the same lettering.

Debora

 

The material may be shell rather than antler. Antler generally does not take that high a polish. Can you find any areas that look porous/spongy?

 

could be bone or antler........initials don't match..

 

at one inch , you can get away from the centre matrix..

 

You all are incredible information sources. I am constantly amazed at the level of knowledge when I visit.

To me this is incredible workmanship.

Two more views

 

The jeweler didn't know anything about the piece, but had no problem throwing a $270 price on it.

 

I make it shell.

Tall! so it's...what...~3/8" diameter? Tres difficile!

 

Nice carving, David.

My first impression was shell. Which doesn't mean it is, but it is worth finding out.

I would expect the bottom (centre) to be, but then it is very small.

 

@Bronwen - what do you think about the material? Might it be shell?

 

Could be the camera making it look like shell. Photos taken on an Iphone 13 close up 5X

 

I have spent some time looking at my own collections, which include a large number of Zuni carvings, a large number of cameos, and a fair number of intact seashells of various types. I have at least 3 Zuni pieces with hummingbirds that are quite similar to this one, except taller. Those 3 are all antler. I also found a little antler maiden with an olla on her head, carved from the tip of an antler point, who is so highly polished you could mistake her for tooth or tusk.

The Zuni, at least when I was actively collecting, a period that would have included 2003, do not use shell very much. I'm not sure what type of shell & what part of a shell could be used to produce a shape like this one. Frankly, I cannot see how anyone could see this as shell. It does not look particularly glossy to me.

I still believe strongly that this is antler, but there is one other possibility based on size & coloring: walrus tooth. The test is UV light. Antler just reflects the purple back; walrus tooth absorbs it, stays the same color as in ordinary mixed lighting & gleams compared to most other materials. Shell also reflects back the purple.

Then there is the matter of density, something photos can't convey. An antler piece of this size would be extremely light. A walrus tooth will feel more solid in the hand.

 

& I've had decades of walrus tusks in my hand......and I don't see that here.

plus...the pics are so nice I have trouble seeing this as only one inch tall...

 

I don't see tusk, but, from photos available, it's not entirely out of keeping with a tooth piece I have.

 

This is a photo from my records of one way Esteban Najera signs his work. (When there's enough space he writes out E Najera.)

 

A hummingbird by Esteban, photographed better lying down:

 

again a piece I should not have sold..... but what ya gonna do???

Stan Hill.....master carver........ in antler.....

notice the base has the same darker shading line..... as does Davids bird...
and notice under hot lighting , how shiny the material looks...

best I can do to back up my assertions on the type of natural material used in the bird carving......