525

South African Steatite Tortoise & Turtle Pair

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:75.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 400.00 USD
South African Steatite Tortoise & Turtle Pair
Featured in this lot is this pair of South African steatite tortoise and turtle statues. There are two steatite statues in this collection. The first has the likeness of the African Spurred tortoise, also called the sulcata tortoise, a species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa. It is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world, the largest species of mainland tortoise, and the only extant species in the genus Centrochelys. The second is a figural depiction of the African Helmeted Turtle, also commonly known as the marsh terrapin, the crocodile turtle, or, in the pet trade, as the African side-necked turtle, a species of omnivorous side-necked terrapin in the family Pelomedusidae. The species naturally occurs in fresh and stagnant water bodies throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa and in southern Yemen. The condition of these two steatite turtles is good, with slight wear to top of the smooth shell and a slight chip to the right front flipper. The measurements of this pair of steatite turtles are 2 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 4 1/2" and 2 1/2" x 4 1/4".