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
Auguste Moreau The Child with The Hen - 19th Century Paris Gold Medal
€ 2,800
Auguste Moreau The Child with The Hen - 19th Century Paris Gold Medal
€ 2,800
Alain Michel Antiques
Robert Belcher Antiques
Japanese Carved Bone Okimono Carved Figure of the Seated Buddha
£ 595
Robert Belcher Antiques
Black Forest Walnut Hand Carved William Tell and His Son
£ 1,050
Robert Belcher Antiques
Equestrian Specimen Carved Marble Study of Stallion & Mare
£ 765
Koos Limburg Jnr
Very Interesting Carved Fruitwood Sleeping Child Attributed to Laurent Delvaux Gand 1696 - Nivelles 1778
£ 4,850
Very Interesting Carved Fruitwood Sleeping Child Attributed to Laurent Delvaux Gand 1696 - Nivelles 1778
£ 4,850
Koos Limburg Jnr
Koos Limburg Jnr
Very Decorative Carved Reliefs / Sculpture of Man & Woman c.1540
£ 2,750
Cloverleaf Home Interiors
Carved Corpus Christi 18th Century Figure c.1750
£ 385
Robert Belcher Antiques
Decorative Pair of Cast Iron Chinese Foo Dogs - French c.1900
£ 975
Robert Belcher Antiques
A Rare Chinese Cloisonné and Carved Hardstone Prunus Bonsai Tree
£ 895
A Rare Chinese Cloisonné and Carved Hardstone Prunus Bonsai Tree
£ 895
Robert Belcher Antiques
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
19th Century Carved Meerschaum Smoking Pipe Hand Holding Skull
£ 1,000
19th Century Carved Meerschaum Smoking Pipe Hand Holding Skull
£ 1,000
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Vintage House
African Carved Ebony Figure of Mother & Child
£ 95
Beau French Boutique
Natural Abstract Wooden Sculpture Huge Decorative Root
£ 895
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Meerschaum Smoking Pipe The Little Corporal Napoleon Bonaparte
£ 1,290
Meerschaum Smoking Pipe The Little Corporal Napoleon Bonaparte
£ 1,290
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Robert Belcher Antiques
Early 20th Century Pair of Carved Giltwood & Lacquer Chinese Buddhist Lions
£ 1,250
Early 20th Century Pair of Carved Giltwood & Lacquer Chinese Buddhist Lions
£ 1,250
Robert Belcher Antiques
Robert Belcher Antiques
Pair of Fine Black Forest Hand Carved Linden Wood Bears c.1900
£ 795
£ 3,450
Koos Limburg Jnr
Early Dated 1661 Fine Oak Chip Carved Dutch Mangle Board
£ 875
Unique Antiques By Emma Jade
Superb Quality Large Antique Carved Hardwood Chinese Figure
£ 1,085
Superb Quality Large Antique Carved Hardwood Chinese Figure
£ 1,085
Unique Antiques By Emma Jade
Wick Antiques Ltd
Black Forest Walnut Plaque of the “Lion of Lucerne”
£ 1,250
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
17th Century Carved Wall Sculpture Sir Edward Massey Governor City of Gloucester
£ 9,500
17th Century Carved Wall Sculpture Sir Edward Massey Governor City of Gloucester
£ 9,500
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
£ 2,500
Cloverleaf Home Interiors
Decoy Duck Bluebill Treen Folk Art c.1900
£ 145
Treehouse Antiques
Carved Black Forest Bear Hallstand
£ 6,250
Robert Belcher Antiques
Highly Decorative Pair of Carved Giltwood & Lacquer Chinese Buddhist Lions
£ 1,250
Highly Decorative Pair of Carved Giltwood & Lacquer Chinese Buddhist Lions
£ 1,250
Robert Belcher Antiques
£ 985
Antique Buddhist Avalokiteshvara Figure, Asian, Bronze Deity, Icon c.1900
£ 985
London Fine Ltd
IM Chaney Antique Furniture
Pair of 18th Century Carved Oak Plaques of Clasical Scenes
£ 400
Elmgarden
Large Black Forest Carved Eagle
£ 8,000
Alain Michel Antiques
Virgin & Child in Walnut - 17th Century From France
€ 2,400
Whites Antiques
Large 19th Century Rhino Hand Carved from Solid Ebony
£ 575
Robert Belcher Antiques
Large Pair of Indian Teak Raj Period Elephants c.1880
£ 1,650
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Large Art Nouveau Copper Crane Bird Oval Wall Sculpture Plaque
£ 750
Large Art Nouveau Copper Crane Bird Oval Wall Sculpture Plaque
£ 750
Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD
Church Street Antiques
19th Century Chinese Root Wood Carving
£ 1,350
Country House and Eastern Interiors
Large Chinese Red & Gilt Lacquered Wood Figure of Guanyin Buddha (Qing Dynasty 1644-1911)
£ 1,450
Large Chinese Red & Gilt Lacquered Wood Figure of Guanyin Buddha (Qing Dynasty 1644-1911)
£ 1,450
Country House and Eastern Interiors
Robert Belcher Antiques
Early 20th Century Canadian Folk Art Maple Wood Carved Inuit Figure Group
£ 685
Early 20th Century Canadian Folk Art Maple Wood Carved Inuit Figure Group
£ 685
Robert Belcher Antiques
London City Antiques
Large Antique 19th Century Quality Carved Black Forest Bear
£ 1,050
London City Antiques
Large Antique 19th Century Quality Carved Black Forest Bear
£ 1,050
Wick Antiques Ltd
A 'Black Forest’ Linden Wood Model of a Standing Bull
£ 2,850
Koos Limburg Jnr
18th Century Wooden Sculpture / Holy Water Font
£ 2,750
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Carved Boxwood Applique in Style of Andrea Brustolon
£ 1,565
Carved Boxwood Applique in Style of Andrea Brustolon
£ 1,565
Newark Antiques and Interiors Ltd
Marlborough Antiques & Interiors
A Set of Three Early Gargoyle Limestone Figures
£ 1,395