{"product_id":"1940s-wood-skull-sculpture-of-memento-mori-minneapolis-folk-art","title":"1940s Wood Skull Sculpture of Memento Mori | Minneapolis Folk Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere we have a hand carved wooden skull about the size of a plum. It sits on a dark metal pin set into a small carved block. Everything leans forward at an angle like it is listening for something in the next room. The eye sockets and triangular nose are blackened deep into the wood. Teeth run in a crooked double row, and no two of them match. That mismatch is the whole story. Factory skulls come out even. This one came out of somebody's hands, one knife cut at a time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRun a thumb over the cranium and the grain rises in tight contour lines, worn smooth by handling. It is one of one. Somewhere along the way it likely outlived its maker and the household that kept it. Now it waits on its next keeper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1940s Memento Mori skull carving came out of an old estate in Minneapolis. I was told it was carved by a local artist in the 1940s. I have no name attached to that story so we’re dealing with a mystery artist. No signature or mark shows in the areas photographed. The wood appears to be a pale, close-grained hardwood such as basswood, the old standby of Upper Midwest whittlers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vintage wood skull sculpture measures 3” tall by 1 1\/2” wide by 2 1\/2” deep. The darkening in the eye sockets, nose, and teeth looks like deliberate toning that has since picked up grime. Dark mottled staining covers the back of the cranium and one end of the base. There is a small dark check or inclusion low on the back of the skull. Short knife nicks mark both cheeks, with scattered fine scratches across the cranium. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI ship FedEx to street addresses in the continental USA only (no PO Boxes). Free shipping on the small wooden skull with something on its mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt has been staring at the same patch of air for roughly eighty years. A new patch of air seems overdue.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mad Van Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67573550776397,"sku":null,"price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0116\/3637\/5610\/files\/IMG_1070.jpg?v=1791166845","url":"https:\/\/madvanantiques.com\/products\/1940s-wood-skull-sculpture-of-memento-mori-minneapolis-folk-art","provider":"Mad Van Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}