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.
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
Prometheus Antiques
Superb Large Carving Depicting Famous Composers, Writers & Poets
£ 950
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
Mark Stacey Antiques & Decorative
Pair of Carved Wood Figures, King and Queen
£ 45
Trade Antiques
Lord Kartikeya temple statue 3 ft 6 weighs 51 kgs 1930,s
£ 985
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
Elmgarden Antiques
6 Very Old Carved Figures of Buddhist Immortals
£ 6,000
£ 7,500
London City Antiques
Unusual Large Antique Edwardian Japanese Carved Linden Wood Bear
£ 685
Fedw Hir Antiques
Antique Large Wood Carved Guan Yin Buddha Statue 102cm Height
£ 650
Robert Belcher Antiques
An Exhibition Quality Balinese Carved Hardwood Figure
£ 1,495
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Japanese Meiji Period Carved Boxwood Okimono, C1900
£ 1,650
Robert Belcher Antiques
An Ecclesiastical Italian Carved Olive Wood Figure Group, C 1880
£ 495
An Ecclesiastical Italian Carved Olive Wood Figure Group, C 1880
£ 495
Robert Belcher Antiques
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Arts & Crafts Revival Heraldic Carved Crest Rivington & Blackrod Grammar School
£ 2,475
Arts & Crafts Revival Heraldic Carved Crest Rivington & Blackrod Grammar School
£ 2,475
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Antique Furniture Direct
Pair of Antique Inlaid Chinese Immortal Figures
£ 250
Debenham Antiques Ltd
Pair of Fruitwood Gothic Revival Carved Cherubs
£ 1,250
Sovereign Antiques
American Bald Eagle Carved on Base - Victorian
£ 1,750
Elmgarden Antiques
Carved Elephant, One Piece Marble Sculpture
£ 1,500
£ 750
Black Forest Original Pair of Dry Fine Carved Sculptures of a Boy and Girl
£ 750
Koos Limburg Jnr
Warner & Watts Antiques
Carved Chinese Figures of Deities of the Boat People
£ 150
Warner & Watts Antiques
Early 20th Century Carved Chinese Figures
£ 150
Warner & Watts Antiques
Early 20th Century Carved Chinese Figures
£ 150
Warner & Watts Antiques
Early 20th Century Carved Chinese Figures,
£ 150
Warner & Watts Antiques
Early 20th Century Carved Chinese Figures - The White Monkey & Tam Kung
£ 150
Early 20th Century Carved Chinese Figures - The White Monkey & Tam Kung
£ 150
Warner & Watts Antiques
Warner & Watts Antiques
Early Eastern Carved Wood Figure - Likely of Bodhisattva
£ 300
JMR Antiques Ltd
19th Century Plaster Statue of Monk
£ 1,995
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Raj Period Indian Carved Study of a Seated Elephant
£ 545
Robert Belcher Antiques
Matched Pair of Chinese Carved Stone Figures c.1900
£ 475
Warner & Watts Antiques
Pair of Chinese Carved Arched Gilt Wood Panels
£ 175
Warner & Watts Antiques
Antique Chinese Carved Giltwood Panel
£ 95
Warner & Watts Antiques
19th Century Italian Wood Carving of the Holy Family
£ 175
Koos Limburg Jnr
Ukraine Interest, Amusing Sculpture Of A Bibliophile/ Bookworm
£ 1,450
Alain Michel Antiques
Angelot En Bois Sculpté - 18th Siècle
€ 900
