Wonderfully Inquitive Old Carved Guatemalan Folk Art Figure in Polychrome braided it couldn't be better

it couldn't be better

and especially how a sort of ghostly apparition seems visible through the scratching

I'm guessing 1840s or 50s

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

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

Wonderfully Inquitive Old Carved Guatemalan Folk Art Figure in Polychrome braided it couldn't be betterThis 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"