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.
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
Philip Allison Antiques and Decorative Arts
Yorkshire Critters Carved Oak Figure of a Majestic Cow
£ 250
Yorkshire Critters Carved Oak Figure of a Majestic Cow
£ 250
Philip Allison Antiques and Decorative Arts
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
Kernow Furniture
Pair of Indonesian Wall Plaques
£ 185
Kernow Furniture
Large Weeping Buddha
£ 495
POA
Trade Antiques
Pair of Country Oak Primitive Carved Statues 1780-1800
£ 485
Artsonline.org.uk
Large Rare Pair of Early 19th Century Asian Indian Polychrome Carved Horses with Riders
£ 7,900
Large Rare Pair of Early 19th Century Asian Indian Polychrome Carved Horses with Riders
£ 7,900
Artsonline.org.uk
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
£ 4,250
£ 850
£ 2,950
Trade Antiques
Pair of Chinese Hardwood Fu Temple Lions 1830
£ 1,250
Treehouse Antiques
Pair of Hand Carved Oak Angels
£ 695
Trade Antiques
5ft Italian Original Paint Carved Saint 1830
£ 22,500
Sunnyside Antiques
Stone Grotesques / Statues
£ 2,850
£ 495
Antique Apprentice's Stone Carving - York Stone - Decorative - Victorian
£ 495
London Fine Ltd
Rams Head Antiques
Antique Chinese Lion Dog Giltwood
£ 595
Lambert & Co.
'Arkle' Oak Carving
£ 2,250
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
19th Century Carved Religious Figure Saint Holding Shield Crossed Keys of Heaven
£ 925
19th Century Carved Religious Figure Saint Holding Shield Crossed Keys of Heaven
£ 925
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
£ 850
£ 265
Martlesham Antiques
19th Century Chinese Root Carving
£ 585