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.
Alain Michel Antiques
Angelot En Bois Sculpté - 18th Siècle
€ 900
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
17th Century Carved Oak Figure of Bishop
£ 1,870
Warner & Watts Antiques
Antique Chinese Giltwood Carved Figure, Qing Dynasty, Possibly Quan Yin
£ 150
Antique Chinese Giltwood Carved Figure, Qing Dynasty, Possibly Quan Yin
£ 150
Warner & Watts Antiques
Elmgarden Antiques
Large European Mediaeval Oak Carving of Christ in the Tomb
£ 5,000
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
16th Century Reliquary Bust of the Blessed Virgin
£ 1,940
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Pair of 17th Century Wooden Romanesque Figures
£ 1,810
£ 10,000
Swans of Oakham
19th Century Japanese Root Carving
£ 600
£ 45,000
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Pair of Black Forest Hand Carved Linden Wood Bears Circa 1900
£ 795
A Pair of Black Forest Hand Carved Linden Wood Bears Circa 1900
£ 795
Robert Belcher Antiques
Aeology at Relic Antiques
18th Century Carved Walnut Pediment from France
£ 625
€ 1,200
Stone-cutting miniature Jade rhinoceros in the style of products from the Faberge firm
€ 1,200
Antiqon
€ 1,300
€ 1,200
€ 1,300
JMR Antiques Ltd
Huge Pair of 20th Century Medici Lion Statues
£ 4,995
Swans of Oakham
2 Hand Carved Sculptured Blocks with "Lucky Carp"
£ 195
Swans of Oakham
Hand Carved Statue of Breton Fisherman
£ 285
Robert Belcher Antiques
Indian Soapstone Study of Ceremonial Elephants C 1910
£ 420
Sovereign Antiques
REICH EAGLE HOT CASTE BRONZE
£ 4,500
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Painted 17th Century Carved Sculpture of St. Anne
£ 1,190
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Early 18th Century Polychrome Carving of St. Nicholas
£ 2,065
Early 18th Century Polychrome Carving of St. Nicholas
£ 2,065
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Aeology at Relic Antiques
Carved & Gilded Pediment From Musical Shop or Conservatoire
£ 975
Aeology at Relic Antiques
19th Century Black Forest 'St.Bernard Rescue Dog' Carved Eperne'
£ 1,350
19th Century Black Forest 'St.Bernard Rescue Dog' Carved Eperne'
£ 1,350
Aeology at Relic Antiques
Aeology at Relic Antiques
Pair of Carved Limewood Putti in Wreaths
£ 7,500
Aeology at Relic Antiques
Carved Wooden Figure of King David From French Pyrenean Region
£ 650
Carved Wooden Figure of King David From French Pyrenean Region
£ 650
Aeology at Relic Antiques
Rams Head Antiques
Antique Carved & Hand Painted Decoy Duck
£ 285
Robert Belcher Antiques
Japanese Carved Bone Okimono Carved Figure of the Seated Buddha
£ 365
Aeology at Relic Antiques
Pair of Black Forest Carvings of Stags Fawns & Eagles
£ 695
Koos Limburg Jnr
Impressive Theyyam Dancers Headdress, Kerala India, Circa 1920
£ 4,750
Marylebone Antiques
Pair of Antique Chinese Carved Wood Foo Dog Statues
£ 2,750
London City Antiques
Unusual Large Antique Edwardian Japanese Carved Linden Wood Bear
£ 685
London City Antiques
Large Antique Edwardian Quality Carved Linden Wood Japanese Bear Carrying a Fish
£ 1,385
Large Antique Edwardian Quality Carved Linden Wood Japanese Bear Carrying a Fish
£ 1,385
London City Antiques
Robert Belcher Antiques
Black Forest Carved Gnome Matchstick Holder-striker c.1900
£ 475
Robert Belcher Antiques
Black Forest Limewood Carved Figure of Medieval Young Man Playing Swiss Bagpipes
£ 725
Black Forest Limewood Carved Figure of Medieval Young Man Playing Swiss Bagpipes
£ 725
Robert Belcher Antiques
Rees Antiques
Wooden Bird of Pray on Stand
£ 175
Koos Limburg Jnr
Bogorodskoe Carving, Russian Folk Art Very Fine Carved Troika
£ 3,750
Warner & Watts Antiques
Tall Burmese Giltwood Buddha
£ 995
Warner & Watts Antiques
Antique Pair Of Carved Wooden Blackamoors, Floor Standing
£ 450
£ 449