Somso Natural Specimens

Stunning religious wall panel in thick relief with strong hook for easy mounting. For the collectors of stunning antique church relics we are also offering this marvelously hand carved pelican sculpture for wall mounting. The character ascribed to the pelican in this context is nearly as fabulous as that of the phœnix. From a clumsy, gluttonous, piscivorous water-bird, it was by the growth of legends transformed into a mystic emblem of Christ, whom Dante terms "Nostro Pelicano". St. Hieronymus gives the story of the pelican restoring its young ones destroyed by serpents as an illustration of the destruction of man by the old Serpent, and his salvation by the blood of Christ. The pelican in Christian art is an emblem of Jesus Christ, by "whose blood we are healed" and it is also a symbol of charity. Many early painters and carvers mistakenly represented it more similar to an eagle (much like in this antique church relic), and not as a natural pelican which is why most people today still are a bit confused at first when this stunning hand carved, symbolic bird is called a pelican. This striking and all hand carved, symbolic panel was originally part of a church or monastery communion rail...

Vibrant, sleek and full of character, this vintage pedal car was once the prized possession of children all across America. A popular toy since the late 19th century, pedal cars expe...

Hand carved Wood Model Sailing Ship model Margaret Sculpture Center Piece LA CA . A very large and rare 19th century painted wood model of the sailing ship "Margaret". Votive ship. Height 54" width: 61" and depth: 15". The scale is perfect as it had to be and the quality of work is evident. Further inspection reveals that no detail was too small, as evidenced by the carved small boats, the ropes, poles and fittings. 5 feet long. This stunningly beautiful and intricately carved ship model was created by the sailors when they were at sea for many years at a time and they created this amazing model using handmade tools using scraps of whatever was available for carving and bringing this piece of art to life. A votive ship, sometimes called a church ship, is a ship model displayed...

A classic decorative Berlin bear statue. Some wear with a nice patina, but this is old-age. Made of metal. This item was bought as a souvenir in Ber...

Big and beautiful 1960 Grumman Avenger TBM3 Royal Dutch Navy airplane model. This beautiful replica once flew with remote control and it comes without remot...

Antique Vienna bronze sculpture of a cat by Bergman. Stamped FB and Geschutzt. Cold painted patina. This model is illustrated in “Antique Vienna bronzes” by Joseph Zobel. Schiffer. M...

Vintage ceramic egg figure from Atelier Madoura, Vallauris, France (circa 1960s). This egg-sized ceramic figure is painted with a stylized suited man w...

While shield and spear were central to African combat, this iron example was most likely made to serve as a piece of trade currency. Many pre-colonization African currencies were modeled after objects of inherent value, resulting in sculptural combinations of function and beauty. This large iron spear dates to the early 20th century and is attributed to the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Secured to a narrow iron handle, the flattened blade has an elegant, sloping silhouette, subtly textured with concentric grooves and a rusted, antique patina. Forged as a broadleaf spear, the weapon contrasts a violent potential with images of peaceful branches swaying in the wind. We've set this unusual Kuba spear...

This rare vintage models of botanical scientific specimen depicts mushrooms native to Central Europe. This kind of items are used as teaching material in German schools or as showpie...

A classic decorative Bust statue. Some wear with a nice patina, but this is old-age. Made of white alabaster on a marble base. Very decorative and nice to display in your library or ...

An exceptionally rare early 20th‑century phantom dental teaching aid, c.1920. Engineered to a very high quality, designed for orthodontists to practice procedures with precision, it...

Wonderful abstract bangle cuff. All in enameled chromium metal by Pierre Cardin haute couture - iconic and sculptural, this bangle is from the height of Cardin's creative output, 'Fu...