Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection red clay which feels like pure sculpture

which feels like pure sculpture to me

used condition

Another pretty brush

I of course fell in love with the birds and the deer and the fish

just large enough to stick the tip of a pen or pencil inside

Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection red clay which feels like pure sculptureA bit of a mystery, this bird, but such a beautiful thing, which came from the collection of "Smitty" Axtell, who was a great lover of carved treen objects. Carved of burl wood I believe, it feels to me Native American, bearing a strong resemblance to birds carved on effigy pipes and ladles, but I don't know for certain, and the reason for the holes carved down the back and up the belly is unknown, though it would seem likely it functioned as a tool