Unlike items cast using a mould and hot metals, carved items require the artist to slowly chip away at the block of material to ‘reveal’ the artwork within. This is usually achieved using metal chisels and a mallet to add more force to the blow but can also include chip carving where just a chisel with no mallet is used, and whittling which uses a sharp knife instead of a chisel. The most common materials to carve are wood and stone and examples of these have been found to date back many thousands of years. No matter what the age, the skill of the artist is to understand how the material has been formed and where the natural weaknesses are so they can work in harmony with them. Those working in wood will know that carving with the grain is far more effective than against the grain (which chips more easily) and that a tighter grain will hold more detail. Similarly a competent stone mason will know how soft or hard each type of stone is and how it should break or chip even before they hit it.
For those who collect carvings the love is often both for the skill of the craftsperson to bring that piece to life, as well as the way it has continued to age over time. The inherent moisture and internal pressures in wood will cause it to crack and bend over time as if still somehow alive, and stone left out in the weather will slowly wear away the details and become home to moss, lichen and more. It is this ability for carvings to constantly evolve even after they have been completed which make antique and vintage pieces so much more special than new examples.
At LoveAntiques we have a fine selection of Antique and Vintage carvings for all your needs.
IM Chaney Antique Furniture
French 18th Century Religious Carved Figure of a Saint
£ 180
IM Chaney Antique Furniture
Small 18th Century French Carved Statue of a Saint
£ 120
Campbell Vintage
African Carved Serpentine Stone Sculpture of Tribal Elder
£ 365
Campbell Vintage
African Carved Serpentine Stone Sculpture of Bearded Man
£ 285
£ 675
Martlesham Antiques
Early 20th Century Life Size Carved Female Torso
£ 8,900
Medieval to Modern
19th Century Chinese Carved Disk
£ 125
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
Life Size Bird Peregrine Falcon With Hoods Hunting Sculpture
£ 750
Life Size Bird Peregrine Falcon With Hoods Hunting Sculpture
£ 750
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
Wick Antiques Ltd
Art Deco Alabaster Carving c.1920
£ 1,650
Campbell Vintage
Abstract Stone Sculpture Of An Entwined Couple
£ 600
Elder Books & Collectables
Huge Pair Of African Busts c.1930's Male & Female Heads Solid Ebony Almost 2ft
£ 650
Huge Pair Of African Busts c.1930's Male & Female Heads Solid Ebony Almost 2ft
£ 650
Elder Books & Collectables
London City Antiques
Unusual 19th Century Antique Carved Black Forest Bear
£ 695
Kernow Furniture
Pair of Carved Ebony Busts
£ 195
London City Antiques
Quality Set of Three Antique Oak Carved Black Forest Bears
£ 1,395
£ 795
Small Antique Hippopotamus Figure, African, Soapstone, Hand Carved, Victorian
£ 795
London Fine Ltd
Wick Antiques Ltd
Black Forest Linden Wood Model of Standing Bull
£ 2,850
Rees Antiques
Carved Eagle on Mahogany Stand
£ 195
19th Century Antiques
Antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Boxwood Immortal Statue Sculpture 19th Century
£ 125
Antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Boxwood Immortal Statue Sculpture 19th Century
£ 125
19th Century Antiques
Verdi Art & Antiques
Hand Carved Hardwood Bust of a Young Woman C1950
£ 75
19th Century Antiques
Very Rare Antique Victorian Cathedral Clock
£ 1,495
19th Century Antiques
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Homage à Newton
£ 9,995
Attrells
Carved Wooden Butchers or Waiter
£ 295
19th Century Antiques
Salvador Dali - Madonna de Port Lligat Sculpture Ltd to 100
£ 9,995
19th Century Antiques
Salvador Dali Ballerine, Hommage à Margot Fonteyn Very Rare
£ 9,995
Martlesham Antiques
Pair of Decorative 19th Century Carved Walnut Black Forest Deer Heads
£ 1,950
Pair of Decorative 19th Century Carved Walnut Black Forest Deer Heads
£ 1,950
Martlesham Antiques
Martlesham Antiques
Pair of Decorative 19th Century Carved Walnut Parakeets
£ 1,950
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Folk Art Canada Goose Decoy
£ 440
Youngs Antiques
A Large 17th Century Panel of St Cosmos.
£ 3,500
Youngs Antiques
A Large 17th Century Panel of St Odorada.
£ 3,500
Youngs Antiques
A Large 17th Century Carved St Andreas (Andrew).
£ 3,500
Campbell Vintage
Driftwood Sculpture on Stand
£ 285
£ 985
Antique Carved Dome, English Cedar, Decorative Woodcarving, Pigs, Art, Victorian
£ 985
London Fine Ltd
London City Antiques
Magnificent Quality Antique Chinese Root Carving
£ 1,085
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Fine Hardwood Carving of Tiger
£ 285
JMR Antiques Ltd
Pair of 19th Century Carved Figures
£ 995
Celia Rose Antiques
Chinese Hardwood Carving Boy on Oxen
£ 85
Debenham Antiques Ltd
Pair of Gothic Revival Carved Cherubs
£ 1,350
Cheshire Antiques Consultant
Victorian Carved Owl Bird Inkwell Treen Sculpture
£ 1,265
Celia Rose Antiques
2nd of Two Hand Carved Putti or Cherub
£ 285
Martlesham Antiques
A Set of Three 19th Century Black Forest Carvings
£ 595