This is a beautiful hand-crafted giraffe from Kenya, East Africa. This work of art was masterfully hand-carved from a single block of richly grained mahogany wood by a special Akamba carver who lives in southern Kenya. We have personally selected this piece for its beautiful carved lines, and for the fact that it is not standing on a platform. Giraffe are breath-taking to watch, and are indeed one of the attractions which draw tourists to Kenya. They can be spotted fairly easily on the African plains, as many stand 16 feet tall or more, towering as tall as the surrounding trees. Despite it length, a giraffe’s neck has the same number of cervical vertebrae, five, as a man. These vertebrae are of course very elongated in the giraffe and do not give much flexibility. But giraffe can turn their heads and look back over their shoulders, as seen in the pose of this carving. This stunning piece has had the spots painted on the light wood, then polished to a high sheen. This is a very nice piece of art work, not the flimsy, mass-produced variety often seen in the open markets. In rough woodsheds and under the shade of the mango trees, Akamba wood carvers work in a craft-cooperative, surrounded with sounds of chipping and sanding, men’s voices and laughter, occasional singing and the spicy, tangy smell of exotic woods. Here the craftsmen reduce single pieces of wood into useful and beautiful pieces of folk art, using only simple hand tools of axes, various-sized knives, files and sandpaper. The Akamba people are famous all over the world for their unique wood carving skills, which are passed from generation to generation. I have met Akamba men who were 5th generation wood carvers. Free standing, this giraffe stands approx. 17-18 inches tall. |