set of wood carvings. any idea?

Guys here i have found some wood carvings but i do not have much of an idea about it. any clue ??

 

I'd say the female is African, at least in style....
The male...he's a big boy....
The earrings , hairdo, armband , and animal head hanging from his belt , may be clues to his origin, as well as what he's carrying , and the type of wood he's carved from. Maybe Ebony ?

 

He's wearing a Spartan helmet but, obviously, not Greek. Perhaps he's a fantasy piece of a generic "warrior." Or... could have some mythological connection.

Debora

 

I'm wondering if the first item and possible the second might be a casting, and not carved wood; or perhaps stone, even.
A photo of the bottom might help, if you were interested in comments on that aspect.

The color is very dark and uniform, and currently ebony is very hard to find without some lighter streaks. It is possible to dye ebony; but if these are ebony I'd guess they are older, from a time when ebony was darker. These are also more glossy than most ebony carvings I've seen; and I've carved musical instrument bridges from ebony, and did not get this kind of gloss.

Also, do the items seem very heavy for their size? If you wanted to put them in water, would they float or sink?
Ebony is very slightly more dense than water, and good-quality ebony will sink; I would not be surprised if some pieces of modern ebony floated though.

 

The photos are slightly out of focus,but the female seems to have areas where the "paint/sealer" has flaked away. Top of neck,right breast,down the right leg.

 

First one is certainly a Spartan warrior, and he's a copy of a statue I've seen. Bother, can't remember whether it was in London or Greece. I suspect bog oak or similar. Seen tourist copies like that there and also in Spain.

I don't think he has any relationship to the other one.

 

OK. But typically they're depicted in art with armor and shields.

Debora

 

Hey guys thanks for your suggestions. I can assure you its wood for sure. anyway there are some cracks at the bottom of the female figure. i l send you'll the pics. and indeed they are very light. actually the female figure. But of course the warrior is kind of heavy compared to the female figure. But even though its kind of wood like heavy not like casting like heavy. I Just have the feeling that they may have painted. what you guys think. then again it could be ebony too.

 

My first thought were Carthaginians Hannibal or his father Hamilcar Barca. Both of them were depicted as grizzly and sometimes in this type of helmet. Are those rings hanging down from the helmet ear coverings or is he portrayed with with large loop earrings?

Hannibal:
http://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/8255
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/hannibal-barca.html

Hamilcar Barca:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Ham...E9O7RAhVB6IMKHQi7AZ0QiR4IhwE&biw=1280&bih=513

My 2nd thought was a brave hunter returning from a hunt rather then a warrior prepared to do battle or returning from battle. He appears to have something slung over his shoulder, an animal hanging from his waist - left hip, and with a cat (leopard/cheetah?) that accompanied him on the hunt. His right hand appears to be holding a rock. There isn't a weapon like a spear and sword or a shield in sight.

My 3rd thought is I just don't know who or what this helmeted warrior with **rippling abs** is suppose to be or represent. Now hasn't this reply been a big help - hardly.

--- Susan

Edit: As to the 2nd statue, I thought possibly a Nubian woman, but I can't find an example of one with a ponytail type of hair style.

 

Actually, Hannibal is a thought or a Hannibalish hunter. I wish I could remember where I saw the blasted statue.

 

: one with a ponytail type of hair style."

It's actually a raised arm carrying a water vessel...popular in the tall thin women carvings from Gahna.....




usually made of ebony or rosewood.......

 

Thanks Komokwa, any idea of to differentiate rosewood and ebony.

 

Komokwa i do believe this is not a roman soldier. Here i have uploaded more pics. on a side of it there is an head of a hunted deer. there fore i do believe its more like a huntsman. what is you guys opinion

 

I see a hunter , with his faithful working dog.....he's carrying a water gourd, some type of club with a woven handle, a baby antilope kill, & wearing a top knot mohawk kind of hairdo......

The kill is the key to where he's from....or the type of dog....or the hairdo...
or all the above....

 

One easy test: rosewood floats in water; ebony will sink, though it is only slightly denser than water, and I'd not be surprised if poor-quality ebony might (just barely) float. But I don't know if you want to put them in water. Usually rosewood would show a distinct grain pattern, with variations in coloring, and some variations in pore structure. This statue does not look like at all like rosewood to me, in the photos. But then, it doesn't look like ebony to me either, so maybe I'm just wrong - I'd be the first to admit that possibility.

I'm still wondering if the first item might be cast rather than carved, or made of a carved stone. Weight is not a good indicator for that aspect; rather, I'm looking at the lack of carving marks, and details that would be difficult to carve but easy to cast.
Regardless, a photo of the underside of the base might help in determining type of wood.

 

@all fakes, I do believe this is more like a wood. In the first picture of the afro lady, can you see there is a crack on the leg. it is made when the statue was fallen then on the crack appeared. did you guys notice.

 

Sure, the lady is likely wood; but many of the details on the man look more like a casting, or possibly stone. A photo of the underside of the base might help identify the wood, if it is wood.

I don't mean to offend; but my experience has been that it is much more difficult to distinguish wood, stone, and cast items than one might think.

 

at all_fakes here is a bottom pic of the warrior.

 

Thanks Mariyan.
That doesn't suggest any particular type of wood to my eye; but does possibly suggest that the warrior's black color is applied to a lighter-colored carving or casting.
One type of material used for some cast items is "hydrostone," a type of plaster, which is then coated with resin for gloss and hardness, and to add color. This results in a color which is black or very dark grey, and cast items produced in this way look very much like carved wood or carved stone. (More often than not when one sees them on ebay they are sold as carved wood or stone.)
Their weight is such that they do sink in water.

 

Hey thanks @all_fakes, so your suggestion is to sink this in some water and see whether its floating na. So just for information, only the products made of wood is only valuable? are products made of resin is lesser in value?