Ribboned Palmette Acanthus Crest

A flamboyant, mirror-symmetrical carving that would sit proudly as the crest of a mirror, headboard or over-door pediment. At its spine stands a slender upright palmette, tapering to a flame-like tip top and bottom, and a small furled ribbon or banner is tucked across its waist as if tied there. From that central stem, pairs of muscular acanthus scrolls unfurl outward, each one curling back on itself into a tight spiral before spilling into fleshy, wind-blown leaf tips at the far corners. The relief is bold and rounded, full of deep hollows and rolling ridges that make the leaves look genuinely three-dimensional. This is show-off ornament, meant to be seen close up and catch the light. Use it as an applied centrepiece on a cabinet door or drawer apron, a crest above a doorframe, the centred flourish on a bed's top rail, or a decorative onlay glued onto plain furniture to lift it toward the antique. Cutting notes • The rolled scrolls have real undercuts: a 3D finishing pass with a ball-nose bit is essential, and steep flanks may need a tapered tool or a fifth axis to reach fully • Choose a stable, close-grained hardwood so the thin leaf tips do not chip • Rough with an adaptive clearing pass first to save time before the finishing toolpath • It scales comfortably; keep the leaf tips slightly thickened at small sizes, and it also casts well in resin for repeat runs