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.
Town House Traders Ltd
Inuit Carved Serpentine Sculpture Figure by Ohito Ashoona
£ 250
Knight Fine Antiques & Collectables
19th Century Hardwood Chinese Deity Zhong Kui Sculpture
£ 175
19th Century Hardwood Chinese Deity Zhong Kui Sculpture
£ 175
Knight Fine Antiques & Collectables
Robert Belcher Antiques
Japanese Meiji Period Carved Hardwood Prowling Tiger
£ 465
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
19th Century Pugin Design Carved Tiger Oak Heraldic Lion Shield Sculpture
£ 3,900
19th Century Pugin Design Carved Tiger Oak Heraldic Lion Shield Sculpture
£ 3,900
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
The Gentleman Terrier
Early Meerschaum Style Madonna & Child Framed Carving
Trade Antiques
Carved Saint 5ft Italian Original Paint 1830
£ 22,500
Mundella Antiques LTD
Continental Carved Oak Figures 19th Century
£ 450
Robert Belcher Antiques
Pair of Carved Giltwood & Lacquer Chinese Buddhist Lions
£ 1,250
£ 135
Marylebone Antiques
Art Deco French Sculpture of German Shepherds
£ 850
Robert Belcher Antiques
English Hand Carved Study of Belgian Draught Horse Stallion
£ 1,250
£ 69
£ 90
London City Antiques
Antique 19th Century Chinese Root Carving
£ 995
Merchant House Antiques
Large Art Deco Spelter Group of 2 Seagulls
£ 245
Rams Head Antiques
Large Antique Chinese Carved Hardwood Buddha
£ 685
Henley Street Antiques
Chinese Wood Carving of Oxen or Water Buffalo
£ 150
Fincraigs Antiques
Antique 18th Century Fleur De Lis
£ 450
Rams Head Antiques
Antique Carved Lacquered Buddha Indo-Chinese Deity
£ 585
£ 6,800
Plaster Military Trophy Panel from the Duke of Gordon’s House in Edinburgh
£ 6,800
Wick Antiques Ltd
Campbell Vintage
Decorative Bird Hand Carved & Painted
£ 140
Campbell Vintage
Painted & Hand Carved Folk Art Bird
£ 140
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Monochrome Painted Decorative Bird
£ 140
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Painted Decorative Duck
£ 140
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Painted Decorative Bird
£ 150
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Decorated Bird Using Straw
£ 110
Campbell Vintage
Folk Art Decorative Bird Carved & Painted
£ 140
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Painted Folk Art Decorative Bird
£ 145
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Painted Folk Art Decorative Bird
£ 145
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Painted Decorative Bird
£ 145
Campbell Vintage
Hand Carved & Painted Decorative Bird
£ 145
Alain Michel Antiques
Saint Anne & The Virgin Mary in Polychrome Wood - 18th Century
€ 2,300
Saint Anne & The Virgin Mary in Polychrome Wood - 18th Century
€ 2,300
Alain Michel Antiques
Trade Antiques
Statue of a Saint Oak Height 20 Inch 1820
£ 485
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
A 17th Century Hand Carved Oak Putti Wall Shelf
£ 1,250
Antique & Modern Living
Small Black Forest Carved Bear
£ 395
Whites Antiques
Charmingly Naïvely Hand Carved Recumbent Wooden Dog c.1930
£ 625
Jo Brayshaw
Coco De Mer c.1900
£ 425
POA
Trade Antiques
Pair of Country Oak Primitive Carved Statues 1780-1800
£ 485
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
Large Late 17th Century Flemish Oak Figure of Winged Angel
£ 7,950
Large Late 17th Century Flemish Oak Figure of Winged Angel
£ 7,950
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors