Vintage Exotic Vesi Wood "Ironwood" Fiji Mask, Rare and Beautiful

Description

This is a rare vintage besi/vesi wood or "ironwood" mask from Fiji, featuring two turtles and a stream of water. The wood has rich medium brown and a hint of blond with an attractive dark brown wood grain/streak.
Skillfully hand carved and very beautiful with both front and back sides feel very pleasant to the touch. This mask feels very nice and smooth with artistic designs and great contrasts of round and sharp shapes, lines and edges.
Vesi wood (besi wood/Intsia bijuga or "ironwood") is one of the most valuable timbers of Fiji, praised for its attractive look and high quality, stronger than teak and extremely resistant to decay. The tree is extremely slow growing, taking 80–90 years to mature. They grow natively in Indo Pacific from Tanzania, Madagascar Queensland, Australia to the Pacific islands of Fiji and Samoa. In Fiji they’re used as the traditional material for wood of choice for carving, but deforestation has stripped the island, leaving only 8% of the island covered with Vesi trees. As a part of the current reforestation program, carvers are being encouraged to use as little Vesi wood as possible, with Sandalwood/yasi being promoted as an alternative.
In excellent shape and condition.
Dimensions; weight (approximately): 14 1/2” L, 5 ½” W, 2” D; 0.96 lbs.
Sold as-is. Please see pictures for further details and feel free to ask if you have any questions.