Featured Signed Carved Wood Pelican Figure - Bali?

I picked up this piece at a local thrift shop yesterday. The smirky grin caught my eye & I thought it was fairly well done.

I overlooked the signature mark until the last moment before I paid for him. It is so faint there was no way I could read it in the store, but I figured it would be easier with better light & a magnifying glass/loupe. However, I haven't had much luck using either.

He stands 6 5/8" tall & is 5" from beak to tail.

My searching last night led me to believe he might be from Bali, but WDIK.









Thanks for any & all advice or opinions!!

 

Mas Village, Bali?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/999194922

"Hand carved wooden statues from Mas Village, Ubud, recognized worldwide as wood carving capital of Bali "

 

Thanks so much!!

 

He's really well done! I love the face too.

 

Yours is better quality, of both the wood and the carving, and very charming
Signature on yours: P.W. Ardama. I guess it is 1960s-70s.

 

Mas production

 

I think he stole somebody else's fish.

I don't know how you deciphered the signature. I have it in my hands, and I couldn't get past P.W.

Thank you again.

 

I cheated. I have the benefit of knowing some Balinese names, so it was easier to make out the squiggles.

 

BTW, what kind of wood might this little guy be carved from?

 

I generally don't comment on the wood of Balinese carvings, because so many of the woods they use look alike to me. A reputable writer on Balinese Art Deco carvings consulted an expert on Indonesian wood for his book, because he has the same problem.
I must say, collectors of Balinese art have never asked me, to them it is all about the artists and/or the quality of the carving.
But I can say that it has a denser grain than the one on Etsy.

 

ya , it's a hardwood , and not one I recognize ....

 

I understand totally & it likely will not matter to the buyer. I was just curious because of the difference in colorings. It only weighs 7 ounces so not real heavy.