Frisian or Flemish wooden part of a carriage?

[Ren Ren]

Originally Posted by Saracen

I think it's a Sinhala lion. Maybe there is some connection with Dutch Ceylon?
Then that piece is not younger than the end of the 18th century.

This is a beautiful version!
I think that the answer may be suggested by studying the wood from which the carved part is made.
If it is tropical wood, then there is a high probability that the carving was carried out in Ceylon (or another colony). If the wood is of European origin, then I doubt that it was exported for processing.

[Saracen]

Originally Posted by Ren Ren

If the wood is of European origin, then I doubt that it was exported for processing.

Why do you exclude the work of a master who was taken out of the colony in the metropole? Only some elements have Ceylon shades, the overall composition is Dutch.

[Ren Ren]

I am not aware of the facts of the export of labor from the colonies to Europe before the 1st World War. But I cannot rule it out completely.

[Saracen]

Originally Posted by Ren Ren

I am not aware of the facts of the export of labor from the colonies to Europe before the 1st World War. But I cannot rule it out completely.

You wouldn't say that people couldn't just travel, would you?
Anytime.
I do not think that the analysis of wood can give a reliable result, even if its origin is established. There are many explanations for the appearance of the Sinhala lion on a product made of European wood, for example, from the hands of a Dutch master who wanted to emphasize some of connection with Ceylon. His own or the customer's.

[Ren Ren]

Amazing things rarely happen. We both know how a little black boy from Abyssinia made an excellent career in military service in Russia - in the middle of the 18th century he was promoted to brigadier general.

[Saracen]

Such things happen more often, although this does not make them any less amazing.
Don't need to be a little black Ibrahim Petrovich to keep in touch with the culture of a foreign country that has become close and surround yourself with objects of this culture after returning to your homeland.
The example of a "White Bedouin" seems to me more appropriate in the context of this discussion).

[M ELEY]

I could believe Singhalese lion as well, as they were often stylized. here's my hanger presumably made in Ceylon ca.1660 for the Dutch market-

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by Saracen

Such things happen more often, although this does not make them any less amazing.
Don't need to be a little black Ibrahim Petrovich to keep in touch with the culture of a foreign country that has become close and surround yourself with objects of this culture after returning to your homeland.
The example of a "White Bedouin" seems to me more appropriate in the context of this discussion).

Your subject photo is of course T.E.Lawrence.....Lawrence of Arabia.
Stu