Tiger figurine carved from tiger's eye

A tiger figurine made of tiger's eye, carved from South African rough material. The material's warm golden-brown banding appears as pseudo-stripes across the animal's anatomy.

Tiger's eye is a pseudomorphic quartz variety with embedded parallel crocidolite fibers. The chatoyancy (cat's eye effect) is created by light reflection on the fiber layers. South African deposits in the Northern Cape province supply the classic material.

The tiger's form follows the classical sculptural tradition for big cat figurines. The choice of material is a curatorial idea in itself: tiger's eye as the stone for a tiger figurine, with the banding as a material pun.