Wood carving is one of the oldest arts of humankind. Wooden spears from the Middle Paleolithic, such as the Clacton Spear, reveal how humans have engaged in utilitarian woodwork for millennia. However, given the relatively rapid rate at which wood decays in most environments, there are only isolated ancient artifacts remaining.
A Chinese wooden Bodhisattva, Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Shanghai Museum.
Detail from the carved portal, of St Sabina on the Aventine Hill, dating back from the 5th century
Gothic statue in carved wood
Choir stalls in the Ulm Münster by Jörg Syrlin t.E. (ca. 1470)
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object. The phrase may also refer to the finished product, from individual sculptures to hand-worked mouldings composing part of a tracery.
Woodcarver at work
Wood sculpture made by Alexander Grabovetskiy
A selection of woodcarving hand tools: 3 fishtail gouges, a v-parting tool, 4 straight gouges, 3 spoon gouges, and a carvers mallet
Wood carving with a chainsaw
