Hi Barney,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

The Surrealist sculpture movement in the 1970s was built upon the foundations laid by earlier Surrealists like Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, and Alberto Giacometti, but it evolved in new directions, influenced by contemporary art trends such as Postmodernism, Conceptual Art, and Minimalism.
The NJ or NT initials are likely those of the maker, and '73' refers to the date it was made but I've done an exhaustive search of the online databases and can't find a match. Where you acquired it might provide some information on where it was made, further clues to its manufacture.
The value of $2,000-3,000 is based on other surreal carved wood sculptures that have sold at auction of similar size and age.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

Surrealist School, 1973
Woman
carved and polychrome wood, the nude woman depicted with occlusions to her body, including seed pods, human heads, a bird head and a skull emerging from the back, with ram's horn feet anchored to a heavy metal base by a metal ring.
6 feet overall height; diameter of base: 18 inches
CONDITION: This appears to be in generally good condition
PROVENANCE: Unknown
$2,000-3,000*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia