Wood
Wood has probably been a material for sculpture for millenia worldwide but unfortunately early examples have had a low survival rate due to deterioration. One early example is the Shigor Idol from Yekaterinburg, Russia, from about 7,500 BC. African sculpture included masks, statuettes and religious articles; Oceanic art, Australian aboriginal art and Native American art all used wood media extensively. Wood was found throughout the art of Europe, Egypt, Japan, and elsewhere.
Wood can be carved, sanded, chipped, polished, painted and sealed. It is strongest in the direction of the grain but different woods vary in strength and hardness.
Shigor Idol; circa 7,500 BC; wood; Yekaterinburg,Russia
Reliquary Bust of a Female Saint, ca. 1520–1530; South Netherlandish
Oak, paint, gilding; Overall: 16 11/16 in.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cloisters Collection, 1959
Nativity Group with Angel, 18th century Guatemalan Wood, polychromed and gilded, with glass eyes and silver–gilt halos; "Nativity Group with Angel [Guatemalan]" (64.164.168-.172) In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/64.164.168-.172. (October 2006)
Canoe Figurehead (Nguzu Nguzu, Musu Musu, or Toto Isu), late 19th–early 20th centuryNew Georgia (?), Solomon IslandsWood, chambered nautilus shell, parinarium nut paste, paint;
"Canoe Figurehead (Nguzu Nguzu, Musu Musu, or Toto Isu) [New Georgia (?), Solomon Islands]" (1976.351) In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1976.351. (April 2008)
The top image above is in the public domain.
Some sites about wood sculpture:
Wikipedia: History of Wood Carving
Some sites about the history of wood sculpture:
Wikipedia: Totem Pole
Visual Arts Cork: Wood Carving
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Maori Art
Some artists who worked with wood:
The Metropolitan Museum: Late Medieval German Sculpture
Barbara Hepworth
Ernst Barlach
Mario dal Fabbro
Some contemporary artists who work with wood:
Dan Webb
David C Roy
Salem Fine Art Sculpture
MOMA: Martin Puryear
Blackbird: Sol Lewitt
Xawery Dunikowski