Wounaan Vintage Natural Dye Parrot Tagua Nut Carving-Panama 21031110L

This is an old tagua carving, perhaps from about 1992. I remember when I first started buying tagua carvings. They were primitive like this fellow. But little by little the artists gained experience and the art form developed into what it is today. It has been a pleasure watching the process.

This particular carving is unique. The color is from a dye I suppose the artist's wife was cooking up for her basket fiber. There was a period when the tagua carvers started dipping their white tagua carvings in the dyes their wives prepared for basket fiber. Because tagua is porous it took the dye nicely. Today you don't see that many dyed tagua carvings. I suppose like all trends it ran its course. This is a good example however.

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