Vintage Wounaan Tagua Bird Carving-Panama 20120403L

This is another vintage carving. I guess I opened a box of memories and decided to share them with you.

This carving is from about 1991-92. The artist carved the bird and the base that it's feet and tail are part of from one tagua nut and the larger base from another. Then he combined them. This is a super example of tagua carving in the early days. My bet is that the carving was top heavy when the artist finished it so it would not stand up. Answer...carve a larger base and glue it.

Click for the larger images.

Each tagua carving is a one-of-a-kind treasure.