19th Century French Life Size Cast Plaster Study of a Childs Under Arm and Hand

Very pretty and decorative early 20th century French articulated life-size mannequin's arm in dark brown painted and plastered heavy solid wood. To lay or hang and use for extraordi...

Rare 19th century French heavy cast iron clip with spring in the shape of a birds head. Most likely a heron, the hinge in its 'jaw joint' makes its beak act as a clip. You pinch the back and its feathered neck to open the beak. So this pretty item could be used as paper clamp...

French Africanist style plaster carved sculpture of a mother carrying water and feeding her child.

An impressive larger than life-size cast and gilt bronze left hand and arm of a bodhisattva, late 19th century or earlier, Tibet. The over-sized arm and hand of graceful proportions. The arm tapering down to a slender wrist embellished with a simple bracelet hiding the join between the hand and arm. The hand and arm richly gilt. The join to the elbow visible and exposed. The hand heavily cast, with nice detail to the fingernails and cuticles. The palm with simple incised lines. The hand, with the pointer and pinky fingers raised, and the middle and ring finger folded down touching the thumb, performs the gesture known as karana mudra, the gesture of dispelling evil. (Here in Texas we refer to this gesture as "Hook'em Horns!") Karana mudra is often associated with Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, known in Tibet as Chenrezig, and in China as Guanyin. The hand and arm would originally have been part of a much larger sculpture. Unfortunately many Tibetan Buddhist sculptures...