Featured Carved Stone Panda Figurine

Any thoughts on origin, type of stone etc?
Thanks

 

I really do not know, except to say it looks somewhat like obsidian. Could it be dense volcanic glass that is carveable? Scroll down to see a 4" carved pig in snowflake obsidian in the wiki link -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian

 

Portions of it look "etched" like can be done with glass. I'm sure it can easily be done with stone too...

 

I have never seen lines & green hews with obsidian. But green it is possible Hope that this link helps: http://www.geologypage.com/2019/12/...019/12/obsidian-how-to-identify-obsidian.html

 

Well, I think I have seen lines and green albeit mostly black, but by far, I'm not insisting that it's obsidian. That's just what came to mind when I saw how it was cut and finished.

 

Thanks, INH. It was just a guess on my part.

 

Are we sure this is not some sort of casting? I'm concerned that the difference between the texture in different parts of his coat would be very hard to achieve in hand-carving; but would be easy in casting. That matte surface would be a feat if hand-carved, and to keep the division between that and the polished area, so clean, that would be hard.

 

Steve, while it would make more sense to cast such a small item, I think the textured parts were acid etched. It's so small, it's not sandblasted, although I couldn't discern just how small before I saw INH's Ibis link because the hand holding it looked non-distinct to me. It doesn't look cast to me.

sorry, @David Kiehl , but your link led me to a 404 page. Please just post the info here, I'd rather not try to follow a strange link. Do you not think it is obsidian?

 

Not sure what the material is,though the cracks in the 2nd photo and a "flake" in the 4th photo near the left rear leg doesn't look like something obsidian would have.

 

I'm sorry, Hollyblue, I don't see any cracks or flakes?

@kardinalisimo , a google of images of "obsidian panda bear" will bring up a ton of small carving examples.

 

I was wondering that too. Some parts, like the toes in the detail below, look like they were pressed in, not carved.
Especially the central line, it looks like it was even pressed close at the bottom. If so, that would have been done on the original from which the molds were made.