Green Serpentine Figurative Head Sculpture (192mm)

This sculpture is carved fully in the round — not as a face applied to a surface, but as a complete head resolved in three dimensions. Both sides carry the carving: the serene expression, a heavy-lidded closed eye, a clean nose ridge, and softly resolved lips are present from every angle, shifting in character as the light and your position change. That bilateral quality is what elevates it from face to head—from a frontal image to a volumetric object that rewards movement and occupies space with genuine sculptural presence. The carving is minimal and deliberate, with features reduced to their essential lines without losing warmth or character. The result feels as much architectural as figurative.

The material itself is part of the statement. Across the facial planes and polished surfaces, the Opal Serpentine achieves a deep, lustrous green that shifts between forest and sage as the light moves across it — rich, absorbing, and unmistakably alive. Natural ochre and brown mineral inclusions drift through the polished faces, each one unique to this piece. Most striking is the natural band of warm russet colouring concentrated at the lips — an iron-rich mineral inclusion native to the stone itself, not applied or enhanced, that gives the mouth a quiet definition and an individuality no carver could plan for. It is the kind of detail that makes a piece genuinely unrepeatable. The artist has carved the crown and outer body with deliberate vertical grooves that evoke the texture of hair or a close-fitting headdress, framing the polished face with quiet intention. That contrast between the worked outer surface and the glassy facial planes is not incidental. It is what separates this from decorative stone carving and places it firmly in the territory of contemporary sculpture.

The silhouette reinforces this reading. The piece narrows at the neck before broadening into the head, giving it an upright, totemic quality — grounded and stable at the base, commanding at the crown. It does not compete for attention; it simply holds its place with the kind of quiet confidence that comes from something genuinely well-made and materially honest.

At 192mm tall and over 6kg, it has the physical presence to anchor a console, a shelf composition, or a dedicated corner without requiring anything around it. Place it alone as the centrepiece of a styled surface, set it against a stack of books on a shelf, or let it occupy a quiet corner where its meditative character can be properly felt. It works in spaces that value restraint, craftsmanship, and the beauty of natural material.

Green Serpentine Properties

• Material: Green Serpentine — Opal Serpentine variety
• Form: Hand-carved figurative head sculpture, carved fully in the round
• Colour: Deep, mottled forest green with sage and ochre mineral inclusions across polished surfaces; a natural band of warm russet colouring at the lips from iron-rich mineral inclusions within the stone; deliberately carved and textured outer sections rendered in matte grey-green
• Carving Style: Minimalist, stylised facial features with clean incised lines; outer crown and edges carved with vertical grooves to evoke the texture of hair or a close-fitting headdress
• Finish: High polish across facial planes; deliberately carved, matte-textured outer surfaces representing hair
• Origin: Hand-carved in Zimbabwe by skilled artisans within the Shona tradition
• Dimensions: Length 192mm; Width 157.5mm; Depth 88.5mm
• Weight: 6,054g
• Lustre: Lustrous, glassy sheen across polished facial areas; matte carved texture across the outer hair-carved surfaces
• Transparency: Opaque
• Mineral Family: Serpentine group
• Mohs Hardness: Approximately 4–6
• Appearance: Upright, totemic head with a serene closed-eye expression, polished bilateral facial carving, natural russet-toned mineral colouring at the lips, and vertically grooved outer carving evoking hair or a headdress
• Display Style: Freestanding sculptural object, suitable for shelves, consoles, sideboards, or dedicated display corners
• Use: Decorative sculptural centrepiece for considered interiors and mindful spaces

Green Serpentine Healing Properties

Green serpentine — and specifically the Opal Serpentine variety — is widely associated with grounding, protection, and quiet emotional strength. With its deep, absorbing colour and serene carved form, this sculpture is often chosen for spaces that benefit from a settled, stabilising atmosphere — and for those drawn to stones that feel steadying and reassuring rather than dramatic.

• Grounding by helping you feel more centred and anchored
• Protection through its dense, absorbing energy
• Emotional resilience as you find calm and steadiness
• Meditative focus in reflective corners and quiet spaces
• Inner stillness by encouraging patience and composure

Shaped into a serene figurative head and carved in the round from a single mass of stone, it carries an intentional quality—a sense of settled presence that is easy to live with and hard to ignore.