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.
Koos Limburg Jnr
Interesting Early Walnut Carving Netherlandish, Brabant c.1500
£ 6,750
CES Home & Garden Limited
Vintage Caracalla Roman Emperor Composite Marble di Latte Bust
£ 895
Vintage Caracalla Roman Emperor Composite Marble di Latte Bust
£ 895
CES Home & Garden Limited
Prometheus Antiques
Black Forest Carved Wood Bear
£ 495
Rams Head Antiques
19th Century Saltglaze Stoneware Eagle Garden Sculpture
£ 465
Wick Antiques Ltd
Charming Swiss Black Forest Carved St. Bernard Dog Relaxed Lying Down with Its Head Resting & Taking a Long Snooze
£ 2,400
Charming Swiss Black Forest Carved St. Bernard Dog Relaxed Lying Down with Its Head Resting & Taking a Long Snooze
£ 2,400
Wick Antiques Ltd
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
19th Century Black Forest Bear with Glass Eyes
£ 1,870
Elmgarden Antiques
Carved & Painted Cigar Store American Indians
£ 10,000
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Pair of Swiss or Black Forest Carved and Polychrome and Gilt Painted Jester Figures
£ 1,195
A Pair of Swiss or Black Forest Carved and Polychrome and Gilt Painted Jester Figures
£ 1,195
Robert Belcher Antiques
Salisbury Antiques Centre
James Butler RA (1931-2022) - Large Bronze of St Peter & St Paul, York Minster Edition
£ 3,200
James Butler RA (1931-2022) - Large Bronze of St Peter & St Paul, York Minster Edition
£ 3,200
Salisbury Antiques Centre
Marylebone Antiques
Antique French Bronze Sculpture
£ 975
Elmgarden Antiques
Primitive Architectural Carved Wood Mounted Sculpture
£ 500
Elmgarden Antiques
A Hand Carved Live Wood Iguana
£ 1,450
Martlesham Antiques
19th Century Ceremonial Launching Mallet and Chisel
£ 850
Koos Limburg Jnr
High Quality Carving And Painted Large Sculpture Of An Indonesian Janger Dancer, Circa 1930
£ 3,250
High Quality Carving And Painted Large Sculpture Of An Indonesian Janger Dancer, Circa 1930
£ 3,250
Koos Limburg Jnr
Bill Bridges Antiques
19th Century Italian Alabaster Statue of a Family Group C1860
£ 300
Rams Head Antiques
Chinese Polychrome Carved Figure of Deity Qing Period
£ 465
Wick Antiques Ltd
Large White Marble Figural Group Depicting Three Putti, Charles Raphaël Peyre ‘Bataille de Fleurs’
£ 9,500
Large White Marble Figural Group Depicting Three Putti, Charles Raphaël Peyre ‘Bataille de Fleurs’
£ 9,500
Wick Antiques Ltd
Treehouse Antiques
Black Forest Carved Model of Boar
£ 380
Koos Limburg Jnr
A Fine Spanish Pieta Circa 1750
£ 2,950
Wick Antiques Ltd
Charming Late 19th Century Black Forest Carved Limewood / Linden Wood Group Depicting a Mother Dog with Her Puppies
£ 2,450
Charming Late 19th Century Black Forest Carved Limewood / Linden Wood Group Depicting a Mother Dog with Her Puppies
£ 2,450
Wick Antiques Ltd
Koos Limburg Jnr
A Very Interesting Japanese Wooden Carved Sculpture Of A Geisha In The Nata-tsukuri Style
£ 1,250
A Very Interesting Japanese Wooden Carved Sculpture Of A Geisha In The Nata-tsukuri Style
£ 1,250
Koos Limburg Jnr
£ 60
Oldewundors
Indian Wood Carved Doll Marapachi Bommai
£ 45
Oldewundors
Indian Carved Wooden Doll Marapachi Bommai
£ 45
South Country Antiques
Mid 20th C. Wooden Model of an Aeroplane
£ 155
IM Chaney Antique Furniture
Wall Mounted Chestnut Wood Carved Mask
£ 180
Rams Head Antiques
Fabulous Chinese Carved Dragon Gong 19th Century
£ 585
AppleMan Antiques
Antique Folk Art Carved Wooden Snuff Box
£ 199
£ 225
CES Home & Garden Limited
Early 20th Century Italian Carved Vienna Marble Bench
£ 11,995
Frank Storey Ltd
Zande or Mangbetu Workshop Attribution, Northern Democratic Republic of Congo/ Southern Sudan, Tall Carved Limba Column, Mid-20th Century
£ 1,150
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Miniature Japanese Carved Bamboo Okimono Circa 1900
£ 375
Wick Antiques Ltd
Fine Pair of 19th Century Black Forest Walnut Game Plaques Attributed to Johans Fluck of Brienz
£ 3,450
Fine Pair of 19th Century Black Forest Walnut Game Plaques Attributed to Johans Fluck of Brienz
£ 3,450
Wick Antiques Ltd
Elmgarden Antiques
Large Carved Wooden Horse Head
£ 495
Millers Antiques
Gilt Carved Figure Saint Francis
£ 950
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
A Pair of Highly Decorative Pedestals with Lidded Urns
£ 995
A Pair of Highly Decorative Pedestals with Lidded Urns
£ 995
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Late-19th-century Milanese Bronze Plaque with Sforza–Visconti Heraldry by Porta Ravizza
£ 2,000
Late-19th-century Milanese Bronze Plaque with Sforza–Visconti Heraldry by Porta Ravizza
£ 2,000
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Bleached Elm Carved Sculpture of the Greek Mythology 'Prometheus'
£ 5,850
Bleached Elm Carved Sculpture of the Greek Mythology 'Prometheus'
£ 5,850
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
London City Antiques
Large Antique Quality Carved Linden Wood Japanese Bear Carrying a Fish
£ 1,385
Large Antique Quality Carved Linden Wood Japanese Bear Carrying a Fish
£ 1,385
London City Antiques
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
French Bronze La Source (The Spring) After Auguste Moreau c.1900
£ 4,500
French Bronze La Source (The Spring) After Auguste Moreau c.1900
£ 4,500
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
