Just want to preempt the guessing by saying that "sculpture" is not the right answer :). There may be a few subtle clues if you look very closely that might help someone figure this out~

is it by any chance an asian mask from one of their tribes??? or a chinese mask???

Nope, not a mask. But that would have been my first guess looking at it as well :)

a god of some sort from a tribe???

Maybe a religious decoration?

Water fountain?

I can say for sure that it is not a water fountain or a religious decoration, and I am fairly sure it is not a god but I guess no one can really say that for sure :). No winner yet though~

Okay, next guess is an incense thingamajig

ah, not an incense thingamajig either but I never thought of that one :). Good guess~

grandpa's gadget? hehehehe

Are the three small holes significant?

lol. Yeah, mum's playin! ;) I'm thinking there are holes in that nose too.

actually, this is in fact the god of wallpaper, and he's very grumpy about his rating... Might have to do some smiting. :) heh, j/k. To the best of my knowledge this is not the god of wallpaper. Also maybe now would be a good time to mention before someone guesses it, that this is not a self portrait.

mum, are you talking about the 3 concentric circles just above the nose? If so, I would not say that they are significant in guessing the object.

bj, there are no holes in the nose :)

Door peep hole? The eye reflection looks to be from outside. Does it normally stay outside?

Not a peep hole, it does not normally stay outside.

I see the holes in the eyes, but I cannot figure out what the 3 concentric circles above the nose are for. Is it some type of water fountain? One other guess.... could it be a clock with the hands removed? One last guess... a small humidor (this one's a stretch.. i know)

Top of a walking cane?

an old hotdog? this guessing game is fun, but I dont think that anyone wants this on thier background. Its creepy/ugly.

:) you may be right lambert but I like to use it for mine, although even I find it slightly creepy, I just think it's a really cool picture when I look at it in full screen. It's not an old hotdog though ;). It is not part of a cane, or a fountain, or a clock, or a humidor. The 3 concentric circles are of no consequence so don't stress over them~

Back scratcher

a mexican dream mask???

Nope, not a back scratcher or a mask of any kind.

Tip of wooden spoon or another kitchen utensil? So, I'm confused at this point. lol The eye holes do not have any significance in this object's use correct?

can we have a hint

is it made of wood or plastic???

The eye holes have no function and it is not made of wood or plastic. It is not a spoon or other utensil :) sorry~

Ok, let me see, is it some kind of game piece?

What about a flower pot??? Come on, help us out here!

Not a game piece or a flower pot. It always amazes me how many ideas people come up with for these mystery objects. I don't want to give any good clues yet because not very many people have had a chance to guess. I will give clues at some point though if there is no winner. Good luck in the mean time :)

Toothpick holder. I am assuming this guy does have a purpose other than just a carved piece of art hanging on the wall or something?

Yeah, he's not a toothpick holder but he is an object with an actual use, not just artwork :)

Nightlight?

Not a nightlight, if you look very closely you should probably at least be able to tell what this is made of ^^

Well, my initial thought there was a coconut. Still I can't figure out it's purpose.

Is that you, reflected in the eyes, taking the pic?
Is it a key chain?
Totem Pole?
Macrame bead?
Somebody help me here!!

hmmm, it is not made from a coconut but I could definitely see where you got that from. It's not a key chain but that probably is me in the eyes somewhere, although I used my camera's timer to take the picture so I was actually backed away from the camera a bit.

is it made out of metal???

Nope, it isn't metal...

is it made out of stone or bone???

Not stone or bone :). Like I said if you look veeeery closely there is something that will show you what it's made of, if it isn't apparent just by its appearance.

Until I said coconut, I was assuming it was carved wood.

Nah, not wood. Just knowing what this is made of is not going to give away the answer, but look at the bottom of the object for a clue to tell you what it's made of...

Well, maybe it tells you but this goofy thing is not speaking to me! I think knowing what it's made of can help a great deal and why you needed your camera on a timer to take the photo? Would like to know alot of things but mainly if it is proper scale.

Ok I'm going to answer all of that with the same clue :). It is made out of clay. If you look closely at it you can see the fingerprints of the craftsman. That gives you an idea of the actual scale of it. I used the camera timer as a tip from Steb to avoid moving the camera when it takes the picture for macro photography especially.

I'd say, even with that information there is still a long way to go to knowing what this is though :).

I did see fingerprints at the bottom. That didn't mean it was made from clay though. Could mean you just had grubby hands. lol. I also don't believe that blue image is behind there for looks only. But, hey...I'll be back. ;)

OK - (don't be terrified) but I'm going to do some more sleuthing...

If those are fingerprints, then they are big compared to the object. Looking at them as about 3(?) times lifesize, then the amount of the object we see here (top/bottom is cut off)must measure about 7or 8 cms... or thereabouts... So fairly small.

If you can see the fingerprints then the surface is probably not glazed, but either burnished, oxided or just discoloured by age... so not intended for rough handling.

The reflections show you are wearing a green sweater, ... so it was taken on a cool day.
So recent? and done just for this site. So you had the object handy. You own it...

You are also quite small but yet well discernable... so the eyes are definitely very round and are either glazed or metallic or glass - something more costly than clay. Eyes are the window to the soul, so it has some symbolic meaning.

bjb mentions the background "tribalize" - a decorative image... linked to the idea of adornment, or personal adornment.

The design is not familiar as an Oceanic figure, so I'm betting its based on Native American, or possibly Mexican designs. However if I had to assign it I might hazzard a guess at Innuit or similar. If it is, then to relate it to what I know, then I would imagine it is like a Maori TIKI.

Thus, is it a small modelled image worn as a good luck totem/charm?as a necklace/bracelet/brooch?
Or something attached to something worn by a person.

(phew)
*collapses from the exertion*

awaiting Torque's response!

Wow. Way to go Mum!! ;) I was just coming here to suggest a thimble since I too feel the image to be very small.

Well that was once again some impressive sleuthing, however I am sorry to say this object is not worn on the body, although I suppose the owner could consider it as a good luck charm if he (I) saw fit to do so :). Since I named the background "tribalize" at the time that I drew it last month, it was not meant to be a clue in this case. This picture was taken two days ago, a few hours after this object first came into my posession (and I was wearing a white shirt at the time so the reflection you are seeing must be something else). The object was given to me by my boss upon returning from her vacation. It was hand crafted in Guatemala, and the fingerprints you see are very large thumb prints I think, so this is maybe a bit bigger than mum42 deduced. The eyes look like craft beads to me, but I can't really be sure.

Now you know what it's made of, where it's from, how big it is, and how and when I came to posess it. However, I believe it will still be tough to guess what it is but I think I showed you enough to at least believe what it is once you know, so someone may be able to figure it out.

Once again, goooooood luck...

Cookie jar, nut holder, or something like that? I see what appears to be maybe a lid line at the top far right.

So it is say, between 10-15cm?
Is the face at all relevant to the function of the piece?
Is it a container of any sort? (viz bjb)
Is it basically flattish or round?
could it be a drum or musical instrument?
Is the object actually guatemalan, or originally from somewhere else?

ok I'm going to cry uncle here because I think the two of you are close enough that if I say you're wrong it's going to throw you off. Soooo, bjb, yes it is something like that :). mum, yes it is a container of any sort :).

It is a flask, I cropped off just above where it started to taper to the cap. It is made from a glass flask-shaped bottle molded in the clay that you see. So I'm declaring you both the winners (again). And you can collaborate on a title :). Thanks for not giving up and well done!

bjb I think you were closest again ... I was thinking of a drum at this point.

Well, I was just sitting there thinking what would a single male student do with a cookie jar?? And, what a dumb guess that was. lol Flask may have taken a guess or two more. I have to go. Don't feel I got it, but if a name comes to me, I'll pass it along. Til then, Mum...feel free. PLEASE. ;)

OK, I'll have to think about it for a bit!

I've had to take a week at the beach to think of a name for this one.

No names occured to me but the beach was great!
(26 degrees C all week)
So... a name...hmmm.......

Beach Boy? - No, those eyes seem to dominant..not a surfer really...
He seems to be staring right through me.

I know, in keeping with your background image, what about "Hypnotize" ?

Ok Hypnotize it is. Thanks mum!