Primitive Figural Wooden Sculpture, Italy, 1990s

Primitive Figural Wooden Sculpture, Italy, 1990s.

A slender standing figure rises on a small base, its body built from long planks that move from dark, rich brown to warm, golden tones at the head. The head is the heart of the piece: split into two halves, one dark and textured and the other pale and smoothly carved, with a calm, expressive profile that seems to look in two directions at once. Two small buckle-like details mark the waist, and a rounded inlay on the hip adds a quiet, graphic accent. The pieces are fitted together with care and their joints are left in view, so the structure becomes part of the image. The long, narrow proportions make it a graceful vertical element for a room.