Bali sculpture?

I bought this as I loved the rosewood it was made of. Anyone know any more info? The finger tips on one hand are missing.

 

It is a Balinese Legong dancer. Legong dancers represent the Widaudari, heavenly nymphs. The name Widaudari is derived from the Sanskrit ‘vidhya dharya’, which means carrier of wisdom.
The Widaudari are occasionally sent to earth by the god Indra to try to tempt ascetics as a way of testing their spiritual and moral strength. The girl's dance scarves represent wings.

She is not carved of rosewood though. I know of no Balinese carvings made of rosewood. It could be coromandel, but I think it is another native wood. I forgot the name, I hope someone else will remember.
She was probably made in the late 20th century, not top quality, but these dancers are always elegant.
She could use some tlc, the wood looks very dry. I think I spot some glue, have her left arm and scarf been glued back on?

More info on Balinese carving in this thread:
https://www.antiquers.com/threads/bali-art-deco-thread.30201/
It is devoted to earlier carvings, Balinese Art Deco, but I'm sure you will enjoy the style.

 

Wow, Any jewelry you blew me away with your answer. Thank you so, so much. I am going to read the thread now. And you have a very good eye for detail. There is some glue which I will gently remove. I am not sure what to put on the wood. I normally use something called Olio paglerino here with antique wood, but this will make the wood a bit darker.

 

If it is a natural darkening due to the wood being 'fed', it is ok. But if the oil has colour added to stain the wood, it is a nono.
I'll ask @shallow_ocean_spectre , do you know what Olio paglerino is? And if it isn't suitable, do you know of an Italian alternative Castelli could use?

 

Just thinking, @Castelli , the word paglerino refers to paglia, straw, right? I use rice bran oil, do you think it could be similar?
Or is it a surname and am I barking up the wrong tree.

 

Who, me?

Olio paglierino is Straw Oil as far as I know.

https://www.google.com/search?q="Ba...hWIdN8KHaReCiEQ_AUoAnoECAoQBA&biw=800&bih=471




"Coromandel," is a Chinese lacquer-over-gesso technique, although folding screens are often called, "coromandels," owed to the decorative technique.
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You are close. The name does come from paglia/straw, but only because it is a very light colour. I have been trying for a long time to find an equivalent in English without success. I think it is a mix of oils, but not necessary all vegetable. I mix it with white petroleum in equal quantities to clean antique furniture. I have also recently used it on teak retro style/50'es wood and it made it beautiful. I can try it on the bottom of the base and see what happens.

 

Coromandel is also called calamander according to Wikipedia. It is definitely this the statue is made of. I recently got a lovely Victorian sewing table to restore and the wood is stripy( rosewood or Pallisandro in Italian). Very similar to the statue wood, this is why I thought it was rosewood.

 

Thanks, shallow.
Coromandel is a type of wood, native to India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. In English it is sometimes known as calamander, as Castelli said.
The Indian Coromandel Coast is called after the trees, which were sought after by the Dutch who occupied the Cormandel Coast for a while. The wood was used in a lot of Dutch furniture of the 17th-19th century. And many Balinese statues were carved from coromandel wood between ca 1950 and 1980.
Bahulor wood was used for 1930s-40s Balinese carvings, it has a reddish tone and doesn't have this strong colour banding.

Good idea.

There is another species which looks very much like coromandel. Someone else on the forum found it. I will do some digging.
Ca 1980 coromandel was protected by Indonesian law. But since this little lady is probably made from a different species, no problems.

 

@Any Jewelry - I don't know; on importing the photos into PhotoShop and fiddling with the brightness and contrast, the 'little lady' actually does look like she's made from East Indian Rosewood - Sonokeling, if your prefer - one of the few true Rosewoods (Dalbergia latifolia). The black grain striping is pretty clear in the few uncarved places.




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I know sonokeling from my keris collection. This could be it, but I think it is the other wood I spoke of.

Yes, the other wood I mean also has very clear dark stripes, several Indonesian species have that, just like coromandel.
I haven't had time to search the forum yet, but will get back on this when I have found it.
I keep thinking it is one of those species with ambonia or amboina in the name, after the island of Ambon in the Moluccas. I could be wrong. We will know more when I have found it.
Or maybe someone else will find the thread before I will. I have reading problems, so searching is not my forte. Besides, it is too late to search now.

 

And I was. It was another Indonesian place name, Makassar.
Here it is, Makassar or Macassar ebony. Which is not ebony at all, but what's in a name.
It can be dark reddish to yellowish brown with irregular dark stripes and waves.