This is an unusual large stained pine carving of a monk or priest. It has been rather crudely carved. When I found it the gaps in the carving had been filled with cement ......................I know, I don't understand it either ! This item was in six pieces when I acquired it but it has been reassembled and is now a solid item via dowels and hide glue. There are some losses including the tips of three fingers on one hand

All the cement has been removed. I saw no need to fill in the gaps in the wood but to let the carving tell its own story. Some of the gaps are due to the nature of the carving, but inevitably others are due to shrinkage over time and ageing 

At first I thought it must be a carving of a saint, but having cleaned it, and revealed more of the features, I am convinced it is a statue  of a monk dressed in a cassock with a stylised hood. This monk has a long rope-like belt to which a carved cross is attached hanging down to the side

This statue rests on a two-tier plinth which is new, as the original one was too rickety and thin to be of much use 

This is an interesting decorative item. The finish is not paint or scumble - the colouration has been obtained by mixing dark oak spirit dye with water based dark oak wax. The configuration of the fingers of one of the hands is such that it is evident that when this item was produced one hand was holding an object. The angle of the hand meant that this could not have been a staff, so I have assumed that a scroll was a possibility. The paper has been aged. It is not glued in place and can easily be removed by pulling 

Dimensions:

Overall height: 110cms

Height of statue: 101cms

Height of plinth: 9cms

Width of plinth: 34.5cms

Depth of plinth: 34.5cms 

This is a collection only item from Buntingford (East Herts SG9) but I am happy to liaise with a courier should you wish to arrange one

Please see my other items which are predominantly 18th and 19th century in date