Beautiful Folk Art hand carved wood nude figure  . Circa 1940's .  It is substantial size standing at 14.5" tall . It is made of some type of wood that is not too heavy since the weight is about 1 lb . which is light considering its size . Aside from from age related stress cracks in the wood it is good condition . The bottom has a title " slave girl " as well as a signature but it is indistinct .It has a wonderful charming nieve quality about it . One wonders what motivated the artist to carve such a beautiful work of art and entitle it "slave girl" . It does not have derogatory overtones of discrimination . In fact the artist seems to be sympathetic with the figure depicting her with a sense of dignity and strength and elegance  . Was the artist making a statement about the evil of slavery ? Or is the artist simply depicting a reality without making a comment ? Or is he simply carving a beautiful figure ? Very intriguing .