Wire Animal Sculptures

Authentic giant clam shell specimen with its iconic sculptural form and sea inspired colors and textures.

Cast hollow bronze figural sculpture carved in relief (ca. early 20th Century Italy). No chips or losses; light patina throughout. Masterful work and appealing subject matter. Can be...

A captivating mid-century modern iron wall sculpture depicting a scene of sailboats on a rolling sea. The meticulously crafted ironwork captures the essence of the scene, with sails,...

1930s Paisley Kalamkari textile from India. Hand blocked vegetable and iron oxide dyes on cotton. The fabric is printed using patterned wooden st...

A large and heavy patinated bronze Brutalism style windbell sculpture by Paolo Soleri (Italy, later America; 1919-2014). Beautiful, substantial Mid-century Post Modernist Brutali...

Mid Century Modern vintage key hanger or coat hooks designed by Walter Bosse and executed by Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s. The motif signs the figures of the "Town Musicians of Brem...

American Mid-Century Modern Brutalist sculpture of tortured and burnt welded steel.

A lovely Mid-Century wall-mounted brass sculpture, displaying a mermaid and a fish on a frame, made of black-finished brass. Designed by Walter Bosse, manufactured in the 1950s by He...

Large Giant Clam Shell Natural Specimen, Tridacna Gigas, Organic Modern Decor. ***NOTE: Our 1stDibs store is closing soon.*** We think though are not sure that the species is Tridac...

This giant Pacific clam shell is all natural and with wonderful details. THIS ITEM IS LOCATED AND WILL SHIP FROM OUR MIAMI, FLORIDA SHOWROOM.

Iban Dayak Ceremonial Ikat Textile (Pua Kumbu) Sarawak, Borneo Early–mid 20th century A fine and richly patterned Iban Dayak ikat textile (pua kumbu), han...

Cosmetic Vessel ‘Hinted Bird’ type Ancient Phoenician, Eastern Mediterranean, Late 7th - early 6th century B.C. Carved, incised and smoothed Tridacna (clam) shell 15 cm long 8 cm wide 4 cm high Provenance: Private collection, UK (acquired before 1983) This subtle, anthropomorphically carved clam shell, represents an ancient iron age cosmetic vessel made in the Phoenician region of the eastern mediterranean, during the late 7th - early 6th century B.C. ie. after the Assyrian occupation the region, and before the Babylonians. Perhaps due to this short period of production, only around 100 of these objects have been found, mostly throughout the Near East and Mediterranean, but also as far west as Italy (i.e. The British Museum example 1852, 0112.3 - Fig.2). Tridacna clam shells themselves are native to the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf. The present work finds a close comparison with a Tridacna maxima shell that has an umbo (apex) carved with 'eyes' and smoothed-down exterior (fig. 1). That object was found at the Great Temple of Amman, in modern day Jordan (Caubet and Poplin 1995: 492, n.21; Koutsoukou 1997: 147 - 48, n.185; Routledge 1997: 37, n.37, fig.7) and illustrated in Brandl (2001: fig.7, p.57). The style of both works is characterised by minimal carving and Brandl suggests they are part of a group called 'The Hinted Bird Engraved Tridacna'. Brandl also posits that the engraved Tridacna industry grew out of the withdrawal of the Assyrian's from the Phoenician coast, as shells from the Red Sea would have then become available through agents in Egypt. However, the period of production was only brief, as it seems the Tridacna production centre in the region was destroyed 50 years later by the Babylonians. More heavily engraved examples exist in The British Museum (fig.2) and The Metropolitan Museum, New York (fig.3). Further examples can be consulted in the seminal, 1974 study of these objects by Rolf Stucky: The Engraved Tridacna Shells...