Early 20th Century Carved Alabaster Cockatoo

An early 20th century carved alabaster cockatoo of good scale having coloured glass eyes and set upon a stylised rock.

Cockatoos are a species of parrot coming in many different varieties, the mostly widely recognised and iconic of which probably being the sulphur-crested cockatoo, as seen in this particular sculpture. Originating from Australia, these striking birds instantly conjured up images of the exotic in the minds of Europeans when they first appeared from the East in the fifteenth century. As a result, their use in Western art became popular and has remained so to the present day.