Miguel Martinez Sculptures

This Ekamka Fetish sculpture was carved from wood by an unknown Nigerian artist. It depicts a figure holding a mask. The figure has two symbolic horns protruding from his head and he sits on a thin...

This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 26" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be comp...

This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 26" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be comp...

Richly textured with whimsical appeal, this late 20th century wooden crow is a delightful example of naive American sculpture. Poised mid-caw, the crow's wings are outstretched, read...

This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 23" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be comp...

This mask, created by an unknown Indonesian artist, features dark sin, gold and red eyes, teeth, and hair. It is approximately 7" tall by 5 1/2" wide.

This sculpture was created by an unknown Baule artist from Ivory Coast. It depicts a man in a suit with a white hat. He stands with his hands in his pockets. 18 1/2" x 6 1/4" sculpture The Baule or Baoulé are an Akan people and one of the largest groups in Côte d'Ivoire. The Baoulé people are talented in African art. Their sculptures are renowned for their refinement, form diversity and the labor they represent. The sculptures do not only include face masks and human figurines...

This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 24" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be comp...

This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 28 1/2" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be compared to European and North America: most performances revolve around Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses who fight against evil, mystical, beings to (usually) end happily. Three-dimensional Indonesian puppets...

This Golek puppet was made by an unknown Indonesian artist using wood and cloth. It is approximately 28" tall. Traditional Wayang Golek plays can be comp...

Paint and gold paint on wood Circa early to mid 20th century. This is not signed A treasure from a proud congregation. It is a hand-carved wooden sculpture showing the Tablets of the Law flanked by two Lions of Judah. Their paws held the tablets. Their roaring mouths faced outward, protecting the commandments from threats. In a foliage design with gold and silver paint. Circa 1920-1940's. This Neoclassical, Judaic, Art Deco, Egyptian revival, Shul, Aron Kodesh hand carving, wood with gilding, Hebrew lettering ten commandments sign sculpture, was produced probably in New York. There was a show at the Folk Art Museum titled “Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel” That featured these antique magnificent pieces. From gilded lions to high-stepping horses, the sacred to the secular, and the Old World to the New, “Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses: The Synagogue to the Carousel” traces the journey of Jewish woodcarvers and other artisans from Eastern and Central Europe to America and the unsung role they played in establishing a distinct Jewish culture in communities throughout the United States. The exuberant artworks stand as a testament to a history of survival and transformation and provide a surprising revelation of the link that was forged between the synagogue and the carousel as immigrant Jewish artists transferred symbolic visual elements into this vernacular American idiom. The first major study of this important aspect of the Jewish contribution to American folk art, the exhibition features approximately one hundred artworks and objects, including rare documentary photographs of Eastern European synagogue arks and carved gravestones, sacred carvings, papercuts, and carousel animals. Some of these same Jewish European carvers worked on Coney Island amusement park rides and carousel horses and other carnival and circus carvings.

Anglo Indian carved mahogany cat with ebonized stripes and a curious expression, featuring a secret compartment on the bottom.