Featured A carved wood corbel(?) of a lion rampant

Hi one and all. Yesterday I picked up this beauty.

I'm guessing it's a Tudor period piece, English maybe French but that's just a gut feeling. It's a strange one
Any ideas?

 

Any Photo's ?

 

For some reason I haven't been able to upload them here, though I have supplied individual links to them

 

Love the piece,great form-but I'd expect to see more degradation,patination and wood worm damage. But, remember I haven't seen enough 16th & 17th woodcarving up close & personal to give an accurate assessment.
You'll get people wiser than me re this subject commenting.

 

Are U a NEW MEMBER, just found this site,LOOK HERE 1st ....

 

Cheers.
I know what you mean, I think at some point the piece may have been scrubbed which would be unfortunate, but that's just a guess.

It could easily be a later piece

 

I think your right, it has been scrubbed and it is old going by the back.

 

That is an interesting carving. The fur looks like rope! I have no idea about age or anything, just admiring a cool thing.

 

Lol it does look like rope. it has a folk carving appearance to it but other parts which seem refined, like the claws and musculature

 

I would've jumped on it ! Usually anything I find that well carved over here is resin-would love to spend more time in UK & Europe.

 

It is an interesting piece. It appears to have been intended to be seen from one side only. I see holes on the top where something else was attached. Is there any sign of attachments on the back (uncarved) side of it?

There are also parts that look either unfinished, filled, or very worn, such as the top of the forward foot which looks very unfinished compared to the side view of the feet.

Am I correct in assuming this was found somewhere in the UK? The head of the lion reminds me of medieval Anglo-Saxon/Norse dog/dragon/lion things such as this carving from St. Mary's in Deerhurst -

 

My first thought was that it can’t be that old (but I don’t have any real knowledge) A pity if it was indeed scrubbed. Looks a bit odd overall and like folk art (or maybe a apprentice piece) But it’s a very cool and interesting thing. Nice find!

 

I found it very far from it's place of origin.
Argentina
Lol. It had once belonged to an antiques dealer many years ago and I bought it from his great grand child.yesterday.
All they where able to tell me was that it is european

I myself grew up in Europe and am somewhat familiar with things of the like, but by no means an expert or anything of the sort.
From time to time I come across nicely peculiar pieces here. Will share some images one of these days.

To answer your question, there is on the back a metal ring which serves to hook it to the wall I imagine.
It does seem like a more recent attachment but am sure it's is a replacement for whatever was there before.

I suspect this carving was an adornment for something larger maybe?

The representation of a lion appears to be by one who did not habitually see lions, real or fashioned. I may be wrong. Maybe the style simply responds to a trend of the time, something like the image you shared. There where very odd depictions of lions back some hundreds of years ago. Silly looking even

 

It may have come from a ship. And it does look British. We had major links with Argentina and it was very common to have economic migrants from here to there, including my own great grandfather. He died in Buenos Aires. My grandfather was born there.

 

That makes sense to me, but it seems I am the only one.
My initial thought was colonial South American. It looks like colonial carvings I saw in Peru.

 

Would it have more insect worming if it was that age? My thought would have been late 19th/early 20th. Having said that, it is super cool and I would snagged it!

 

It appears to have been polychromed at one time. Is that the case?

Debora

 

It does look it, agreed, and that speaks even more to a ship object.

 

I’m thinking a prow side piece.

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/lion-figurehead-prow-old-vintage-ship-1315800593

 

I thought the same things.

Also hispanic colonial could be it's origin but standing lions with tongue flaring isn't a very common trope. Colonial art was heavily influenced by baroque european, particularly flemmish art, especially in carvings