Wonderfully Inquitive Old Carved Guatemalan Folk Art Figure in Polychrome braided which this does precisely

which this does precisely

so densely packed with letters pointing forward and backward in an arrangement that occasionally follows alphabetic logic but more often veers away from it

good on their own or grouped in clusters

I believe this folk art watercolor portrait dates to the fairly early 19th century--executed on paper that was that was then cut out

Nicely carved head with open mouth and white teeth inside

Wonderfully Inquitive Old Carved Guatemalan Folk Art Figure in Polychrome braided which this does preciselyThis guy also came from an estate sale in Saratoga, NY the home of a peace corps worker and world traveller, who spent a lot of time in central and south America. I believe this carving is Guatemalan, and definitely has good age to it, carved of wood with polychrome. He looks very much like an inquisitive traveller to me, perhaps a long wandering pilgrim on a mission. Wonderful face, wonderful green paint, and especially wonderful large hands! 10 7 8"