Posted 4 years ago
B72collect
(18 items)
I picked this unusual triple cat articulated figurine at a flea market in Cincinnati. Appears to be made of brass with wood or more likely, a nut in the middle sections that rotate. Anyone know the origins of this?
The center piece is more than likely carved out of Tagua nut. They only grow in the Amazon valley and are the closest thing to Ivory known to exist. While very hard they are pretty easy to carve or turn on a lathe. I have a dozen or so of them with my box of antler for turning. The ones in your photo still show part of the outer brown layer. Once turned below the outer layer they are pure white. After years they normally turn a light shade of yellow. Where they were made is going to be a problem to figure out.