FROM MADEIRA WITH LOVE....!

 

Found in an estate liquidation on the island of Madeira in Portugal, that of a retired antiques dealer.

Antique hand carved statue of Saint Barbara, always shown holding a chalice in one hand and a sword in the other.

The figure was carved from a dense hardwood, Portuguese Walnut, known as "Nogueira".  

A true example of Portuguese folk art, it stands approximately 10 inches tall.

All the details are intact, having survived free of chips, cracks or repairs.

I did notice that when the base was cut, it is somewhat uneven causing the statue to lean to one side a bit.  It was found with sticky felt discs on the bottom to compensate for that and so it would stand erect.  

The wood is dense and hard, the statue solid and weighty in the hand.

Having spent decades in workroom storage, the finish has an oiled feel, not varnished or shellacked.

On Madeira Island, wood carving was a favorite pastime for many amateur craftsman, especially when the vineyards and potato fields were dormant.  

Before tourism and the internet, men used to whittle while the women focused on various types of Madeiran needlework.

Rarely do these family pieces surface for sale as they were from the hands of a past generation and highly cherished.

I inserted a standard size playing card in one photo as a reference for size.

MUCH OBLIGED