Not an easy one to photograph, and also rather an elusive one to begin with, at least to me. This small totem was carved from a very soft, porous wood, like petrified driftwood, and appears to me to be quite old, as the features on the three figures--what looks to be a human head at top, followed by two animals below--appear to have much weathered and worn since they were carved. Based on the nature of the wood and the color, I might guess this carving is Southeast Asian / Pacific Islands (I have included an example from Timor for reference), but the manner of the carving, on the animals especially, feels more somewhat more Pacific Northwest to me. Whatever the case, quite a beautiful and evocative thing I think, feeling rather as if these creatures emerged from wood itself on their own volition.
8 13/16” x 1 3/8” x 1 1/4” d and in good, beautifully aged condition. It needs to lean lightly against something to stand up straight.
