Tiny Cherokee Carving of Woman Holding Bowl by Watty antique circus It measures 13 inches tall

It measures 13 inches tall with a widest diameter of approximately 5

I love the ambiguity of this image

like traditional Javanese shadow theatre puppets

and a line of green grass all around the bottom

This is one of three small watercolors I purchased together

Tiny Cherokee Carving of Woman Holding Bowl by Watty antique circus It measures 13 inches tallA quick search led me learn that the "Watty" who signed this tiny carving was Cherokee carver Wahdih Watty Chiltoskie (1897 1973), who came from a family of carvers. There is not a lot out there about him, but I've included a photo of him at work. Among the few examples of his carvings that I've found, this tiny woman is definitely my favorite, looking wonderfully serene and grounded, with her seated body itself feeling rather like a bowl for the bowl