Mid Century Carved Wooden Figa Fist Sculpture

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Offered is a mid 20th Century hand-carved wooden talismanic "figa" fist sculpture, circa. late 1960s, early 1970s. There is no … Read more Offered is a mid 20th Century hand-carved wooden talismanic "figa" fist sculpture, circa. late 1960s, early 1970s. There is no discernible signature or maker's mark.
The figa has its roots in ancient Etruscan Italy. In the ensuing millennia it has been interpreted as a symbol of fertility, used as a channel to invoke various goddesses, and as a talisman to ward off evil. During colonization in the 17th Century, it washed up on the shores of South America and became a symbol of good fortune in Brazil and Peru." See less