Old or Antique Trobriand Islands Carved Wooden Crouching Tree Kangaroo Figurine

A carved wooden cubist sculpture of a seated nude woman by Boris Blai (1893-1985). This carving likely dates to the 1920s-1930s (during Blai's time in Philadelphia). Most likely constructed of sections of laminated basswood stained with a dark stain, it has an integral plinth with button feet and a carved signature the base. The sharp angular lines of the body are starkly contrasted by the soft-edged, almost nondescript depiction of the head and face. Blai was born in Russia and studied in academies in St. Petersburg, Paris, and eventually under Auguste Rodin. After WWI, Blai emigrated to the US, where aside from his prolific art production, he was also instrumental in the founding of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, the Long Beach Island...

A fine folk-art papier-mache sculpture. In the form of a teddy bear. The papier mache appears to be from various 20th Century Philippine comic books, such as Superkat by L.S. M...

A 19th century seated goat statue hand-carved in wood from Burma. This hand-carved statue depicts a goat, seated on his hind legs with his front legs pull...

Indonesia, Nias, 19th century H. 37.5 x W. 10 cm Sculptures like the one present are not only decorative items but are believed to be vessels that house the spirits of ancestors and are used to communicate with them. After the death of a person a wooden image or Adu Zatua was made to mediate between the human world and the spiritual realm. These kinds of figures were commissioned by noble Nias families, whereas simple and lesser quality carvings generally were found among lower class families. In this particularly fine example, the sculptor has paid careful attention to the proportions of the different parts of the body, dividing it into three main sections – the head, the torso, and the legs. The shapes are sometimes flat, round, or have notches, but all are perfectly in balance creating a certain divine tranquillity. This Adua Zatua’s ears are decorated with earrings, and it is wearing a headdress, pointing towards a chiefly provenance. In 1914 the Dutch gained complete control of the island of Nias and started spreading Protestant Christianity. Many ancestor statues...