Anyone recognise this sculpture !,

Have had this for a lot of years, was once told that it may be silver !. Approx 3 inches long x 2 1/4 inches high. Heavy for it's size.
A guy once told me that he recognised it as a sculpture by someone he could not put a name to at that time. It appears to have been cast maybe as the base has a sort of white powder substance still on it that can't be removed !.

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Please don't tell me that is what the White Powder on the base is !!! ... lol ..

Well! With your 'smugglers' brooch on 'Show and Tell', and then this! Is there something that you're trying to tell us Alan?

It's possibly Peruvian (there's that cocain link again), or somewhere around the Andes where the llama is used as a pack animal. I initially thought Tibet, but that's a different Lama altogether, and they use Yaks there.

tenpot wrote:seems to have a lot of wear could it be a toy?

I suspect that it originally was coated in black but somebody's taken the Brasso and a scourer to it, possibly thinking it was dirty rather than intentionally blackened.
One of my daughters once did the same with a Japanned brass vase of mine. She looked so proud of the job she'd done on it, I didn't have the heart to even pretend to be cross with her. Well, she was only 10 at the time.

I think it's the other way around !!!, i think it's silver that has turned black !. The reason i say is because i have had it a long time, and when i first saw it there was not much black on it, i have never attempted to polish it, only dust it. It has definitely been cast me thinks, that's what i believe the white powdery patches on the base to be.

But what do i know !!! ...

Hmm, bang goes my theory then.
Maybe you could invest in a basic silver testing kit?
Also, if it was by someone known, as you were told, I'd expect a signature or mark of some kind. Have you been all over it with a strong magnifier, as they're often well hidden within the detail of the sculpture?

Over it, on it, and in it ... lol

I once had an Australian cast metal 'Swagman' figure; the mark was a tiny monogram hidden on a knot in the 'wood' on his cane.

I'll check it again then, but this time with a curry-comb ... ;-)

I'm not saying that there has to be a mark, just that I'd expect one if it were by a known artist.
Even if there were one, it might be so incongruous as to be undetectable, it may have been polished out, or could even be hidden below the powdery residue, which is why if I'm looking for a mark that I think should be there, I'll examine every lump, bump and line from every possible angle.

As an example of just how incongruous a mark can be, I've taken the liberty of copying one of your pics to highlight a particular part (I hope you don't mind, but if you do I'll forward the name of my solicitor ). The circled bit could be just a random shape in the metal, but I can also possibly see something resembling a carp-like fish facing right.

You could be right !, strongest magnifier i have shows it up to be some kind of fish, " A Carp ". Tail, Scales, eye - the whole lot.

All that time looking over it and it was right there, i knew this forum would bring out the best in my hunger for knowledge. Thank you P.P. And all ya colleagues ....

Now does anyone know what that mark means !!! ...