Antique Carvings
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.
Tony Youll Antiques
Large Marble and Alabaster Sculpture
£ 1,650
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
A 19th Century Sculpture of a Female
£ 3,950
Graham Smith Antiques Ltd
Large Japanese Root Wood Okimono
£ 535
Alain Michel Antiques
Wooden Statue of Monk with Bible & Ciborium - 16th Century
€ 1,700
Koos Limburg Jnr
Ukraine Interest, Amusing Sculpture of Bibliophile / Bookworm
£ 3,750
Elder Books & Collectables
Large Pair of Hand Carved African Figures King & Queen Carvings
£ 795
Large Pair of Hand Carved African Figures King & Queen Carvings
£ 795
Elder Books & Collectables
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Carved Jade Crane Figure on Lacquered Wooden Base
£ 425
Campbell Vintage
Traditional Vintage Kokeshi Doll 1001612
£ 88
Campbell Vintage
Traditionally Handmade Vintage Kokeshi Doll
£ 94
Wick Antiques Ltd
Two Superb Italian Pine Bacchanalian Figures
£ 12,000
Wick Antiques Ltd
Black Forest Wood Carving of a Mountain Goat
£ 2,200
£ 1,300
£ 420
Koos Limburg Jnr
Black Forest Very Rare Original Table Lamp
£ 1,450
Koos Limburg Jnr
Mary & Baby Jesus Feeding Birds - Large Walnut Relief Carving
£ 2,750
Unique Antiques By Emma Jade
Outstanding Quality Antique Chinese Brush Pot
£ 695
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
19th Century Carved Wood Cherub or Putto
£ 595
Campbell Vintage
Terracotta Veined Marble Grand Tour Obelisk
£ 130
Campbell Vintage
Precious Stone Marble Multicoloured Grand Tour Obelisk
£ 150
Campbell Vintage
Grey & Terracotta Marble Grand Tour Obelisk with Fossils
£ 170
Rams Head Antiques
Signed Pair of Japanese Carved Bears Meiji
£ 575
Wick Antiques Ltd
Indian Carved Hardwood Elephant
£ 7,800
Wick Antiques Ltd
Black Forest Wood Carving of an Ibex
£ 6,800
Trade Antiques
Walnut Bust of a Roman Emperor 1880
£ 565
£ 3,750
Marylebone Antiques
Antique Carved Wood Classical Sculpture
£ 375
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
£ 275
Campbell Vintage
African Carved Serpentine Stone Sculpture of Bearded Man
£ 225
£ 675
Martlesham Antiques
Early 20th Century Life Size Carved Female Torso
£ 8,900
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
£ 480
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