Mid Century Thai Peepal Leaf Skeletal Painting Of An Elderly Man Appraisal

Mid-Century Thai Peepal Leaf Skeletal Painting of an Elderly Man

This unique piece of folk art features a portrait of an elderly Asian man, likely a fisherman or laborer, smoking a pipe. The medium is highly distinctive, utilizing dried, skeletal 'Bodhi' or Peepal leaves (Ficus religiosa) that have been meticulously arranged and painted to create the image. The natural veins of the leaves provide a complex, organic texture that mimics wrinkles in the skin and the weave of the subject's wide-brimmed conical hat. The subject is depicted with a long white beard and a contemplative expression, dressed in a simple blue garment. The artwork is housed in a substantial, dark-toned wood frame with ornate acanthus leaf carvings at the corners and a beaded inner lineage. A cream-colored linen or canvas matte separates the artwork from the frame, adding a layer of depth. Historically, these pieces are often associated with mid-20th-century Thai craftsmanship, produced between the 1950s and 1970s. The condition appears fair to good; while the frame shows some minor surface wear and a piece of blue painter's tape is visible on the top edge, the delicate leaf substrate beneath the glass seems intact with no obvious tearing, though some natural yellowing of the leaf fibers is present, consistent with age.