Gothic Revival Figurative Sculptures

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...

A masterfully hand-carved wooden lamp features a beautiful sculpture of a night watchman with a lantern and halberd. The lantern is made of glass and co...

Colorful set of four hand-painted porcelain figurines depicting different types of animals: an elephant, a gorilla, a monkey and a circus bear. Made by Herend Hungary, each adorned i...

19th century carved wooden deer’s head We are proud to offer a delightful example of a 19th century hand carved German deer’s head. This ite...

1920´s Art Deco polo match bronze sculpture. Scene of two polo players on their horses. Made of Silvered Bronze mounted of a Italian Portoro marble base...

One of a kind sculpture of Crucified Christ in carved wood and crystal eyes (one of them its loose), 18th century Hispano Filipino School. The crown, ...

Crafted in Spain, circa 1680, this antique carved wooden bust depicts the head of Christ with a strikingly expressive, devotional presence typical of the Haute Époque period. The scu...

English Gothic style (19th Cent) dark oak table top altar with a filigree shelf under 3 tracery carved panels with an open lattice gallery

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...

This miniature cast bronze architectural model of the Trajan Column dates to the 19th century to commemorate one of the Grand Tours of Europ...

Sculpted by Mary Tarleton Knollenberg, this rare bronze of a standing horse depicts its tail in a classic mud knot, used by equestrians to keep a horse's tail free of dirt and mud from the track. The animal is beautifully realized and is given great dignity and largeness, though the sculpture is diminutive. Tarleton studied under Mahonri Young...

19th Century French Gothic Sacrament cabinet was artfully sculpted from solid oak and fruitwood to create a remarkable religious artifact designed to be appreciated throughout the ages! The trapezoidal form of the casework is in keeping with the Gothic style, which historians concur originated in the Cathedral of St. Denis during the middle of the 12th century. Boldly molded crown follows the complex contours and overlooks the case below which features a single door flanked by cornerposts that feature pilasters facing front as well as the sides, with recessed arched panels topped with recessed circular frames above filled with carved rosettes highlighted in gold. The arched recesses facing the front are also filled with carved floral and wheat motifs also highlighted in gold, representing the Bread of Life. The door panel, however, steals the show, with a gloriously carved relief work depicting both wheat and fully laden grapevines adding the significance of the Blood of Christ...