Featured Tiny figures - anyone know anything about them?

My wife recently inherited some tiny figurines (see image below). They are only 1-2 centimetres in size.

From the look they could be images of Africans, Australian Aborigines or possibly Indians.

I don't know exactly how old they are, but her father collected numerous antiques over the years. They have no marks, and I have found nothing online.

Does anyone have any leads on where they came from or how old they are?

 

I assume they’re metal of some kind? I can’t help but think they are delightfully quirky. Nicely painted, too.

 

I found two that had sold in the UK, advertised as “Antique Vienna bronze black boy” … but it’s hard to believe these are Vienna bronze quality. A Google of “antique cold painted negro miniature” might find them on picclick or I’ll try again when at the computer.

 

They do have the look of turn of the century type stuff. I purchased a miniature collection several years ago with a few thousand antiques to 1980's items. It was a multi generational collection which made it very neat & profitable.

You'll have to do some digging as, frankly, a lot of the corps have censored black americana type stuff making it hard to find or research anything. I still have a hand carved african american baby miniature done and sold by a famous african american wood carver woodall. It's an unsual piece relative to most of his work. Almost got me banned on eBay and Etsy having it listed for sale after BLM sprouted up.

Crazy times when you basically try to erase history. Tsk.

 

Wow, I never knew that auction platforms were getting PC. Items don’t sit on the local shops’ shelves for long. I’ve sold a couple of postcards and a glass figurine by consignment and they were gone in less than a week. I have no need or want for them but evidently there’s a collector’s market for them. I sold them consignment because quite frankly, I was embarrassed to have them. The seller priced them and I netted $200 for 3 cards and statutette. I was stunned.

 

@Xavier LC
Have you tested these with a magnet? Besides those claiming to be Vienna bronze there are some that are described as cast iron. Are they heavy for their size as would be bronze or cast iron, or are they lightweight as would be some type of pot metal?

 

Our local auction house gets black memorabilia all the time & the buyers are usually African American. I am sometimes quite surprised at the spirited bidding that goes on for some of these items.