SPIRIT
Primitive wood carving spiritual object with head , used by Lega people (or Warega) as a Bantu ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Length without string: 24cm (9.44in)...
Made using hid with shell decoration this girls pubic protector would have been worn by a young girl of the African pygmy Kalahari Bushman tribe...an interesting ethnographic artifact and can easily be framed for display
Handsome handcarved wooden ceremonial mask from Kenya. The mask is carved from a single piece of wood. Excellent condition, the back has a screw attached for hanging on the wall. Circa 1970. 12/1-2" x 5-1/4".
Description: Attractive African woven basket with wooden figure. beautiful craftsmanship and great carving.
Size: 7"H x 4.5" in diameter, in great condition.
African, probably Ethiopian teaching board.
Extra large 89x39 cm. Heavy wood with black ink Arabic script on both sides. Ex private collection.
Can be viewed and collected in central London as excess weight would make shipping expensive.
Palm Wine Drinking Cup, 20th Century
Lele people; Democratic Republic of the Congo
Wood; well carved portrait with some interior staining from use. Size h 8.5" w 6"
A small oil on Masonite painting of giraffes silhouetted by an African sunset, 10" by 8", unframed, signed at lower right "B.C. Syrett 1968". I do not see information on the artist, who was obviously talented. The painting could use a cleaning to remove soiled varnish, light scuffs and some stray black surface marks in the sky.
Fertility doll. H. 16,5 cm. Mid 20th century.
Made of brass and iron. H. 26 cm. Provenance: W. Häusler, Thurgau, Switzerland, collected in Nigeria in the 1960’s, Hammer Auktionrn, Basel, Switzerland.
Hardwood vintage sculpture of an African ancestor image, from the Songye ethnic group, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Old piece, circa 1960s or 1970s a couple of cracks and repairs.. H: 45 cm/17.8in.
Feminine figure of the "ekwotame" type, of typical face, with a squarish neck, sitting on a circular stool, her hands on her knees. Scarifications alongside the abdomen. Wood, with black and white pigments. Africa, Nigeria, Benue river region, Idoma ethnic group. Height: 63 cm. Some erosion, small losses, otherwise very good condition. Shipping charges: 50 euros worldwide.
Exceptional pair of African wood carvings from the Nyamwezi tribes of Central Tanzania, the larger measuring 40 1/2" high, including stand, which is 6" x 6" square and about 1 1/2" high..
Both are carved of heavy dense wood, and the forms slightly vary due to the natural shape of the tree trunk or branch from which they were carved.
They have inset white bead eyes, which is typical, especially in early figures.
The elongated forms are striking, and they both have slightly bent knees, also typ...
TORSO WITH PHALLUS
Primitive wood carving torso with phallus (like a body mask, though no displaying hole), originally flown out from a collector of African tribal art in Japan, though its details unknown and just told as it's from somewhere in West Africa, early-mid 20th century. approx. W 28 x H 57.5 x D 15 cm (11.02 x 22.63 x 5.90in). Not stand on its own...
"Gorfa" milk container, made of calabash covered with tightly woven vegetal fibers, with a leather handle partly decorated with cowries. The gorfa is also covered with leather and wood protection, and its foot is decorated with cowries. Ethiopia, Borana Peoples. Height: 21.2 cm. Very good condition.
NOTE: The Borana society is build around the maintenance of cattle, which are their prime source of sustenance. Milk and yogurt also are staples of the Borana diet...
Finely carved dance crest representing a female bust with an elaborate coiffe. Wood, with glossy dark-brown patina. Africa, Nigeria, Idoma Peoples. Height: 11 1/8" (28,2 cm). The piece is nicely mounted on a custom bronze stand. Old insect infestation (no danger), otherwise very good condition. Ex. old French collection.
Wood covered with sheat metal. H. 30 cm. Mid 20th century. One horn repaired.
special price: from € 750 for € 300
From our African Collection: A Large Baule Mask with Horns, circa 1960. 22" Diameter, horns are 18" h. From the Ivory Coast.
TYPES OF ART
The Baule create art in several media, including wooden sculpture, gold and brass casting similar to their Asante ancestors, and mask and figure carving, which have been greatly influenced by their Senufo and Guro neighbors.
HISTORY
The Baule belong to the Akan peoples who inhabit Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire...
From our African Collection: A Senufo Winged Figure,circa 1960. 72" h.
The Senufo people, also known as Siena, Senefo, Sene, Senoufo, and Syénambélé, are a West African ethnolinguistic group. They consist of diverse subgroups living in a region spanning the northern Ivory Coast, the southeastern Mali and the western Burkina Faso. One sub-group, the Nafana, is found in north-western Ghana...
Superb and rare mask with a very refined carving, representing a chief, with detailed coiffe, eyes, mouth, beard and scarifications. Wood, with fine patina. R.D. Congo, Bena Lulua or Luluwa ethnic group, early 20th century. Height: 35.5 cm. The mask is nicely mounted on a custom stand. Obvious signs of age, otherwise very good condition...
High quality pair of proud standing male and female figures from the Igbo people in Nigeria, made of strong and heavy wood and mounted on custom stands. The figures were made around 1950. Former collection of Dr. Heinz Werner Schmitt, Hamburg, Germany. Good condition with blackened patina and some cracks, no repairs.
Size: 47 cm height x 10 cm width.
Shipping included
From our African Collection: A Baga Figure. 18" w, 48" h.
TYPES OF ART
Wooden figures, often worn or carried in the form of masks, are used by the initiation societies to educate initiates about the role of the spirits whom they represent. Large wooden serpent figures appear at initiations, and carved anthropomorphic figures are placed on shrines. The ancestors are represented in figures that embody both human and animal characteristics...
Black mask with an unusual slightly conical coiffe. Africa, Gabon, Punu Peoples. Height: 12 " ( 30 cm). The mask is nicely mounted on a custom metal stand. Old accidents and infestations (no danger), otherwise good condition. NOTE 1: A similar mask is in the Dapper Museum collection in Paris, published in "Masques" Editions Dapper 1995, 2000, 2006 Paris, page 89. NOTE 2: Punu masks are worn during funerals by members of the "Mukuji" Society and are meant to represent ancestors.
Intricately carved face mask bearing horns, with features in relief, slit eyes, scarifications, stylised beard. Wood, with remnants of kaolin colouring on eyes, horns tips and coiffe. Fine age patina. Africa, Ivory Coast, Yaure ethnic group. Height: 33 cm. Insect infestation on right side (no more danger), otherwise good condition
From our African Collection: An African Benin Bust made in Bronze from the 1960's. 4" at base, 12" h.
The kingship of Benin is closely related to Ife. The first king, or Oba, of Benin is traditionally supposed to be a descendant of Oduduwa, the founder of Ife. The most distinctive examples of Benin craftsmanship are the bronze plaques, which adorned the palace walls. As in the artwork of Ife, the craftsmen of Benin produced bronze and copper heads celebrating the power of the Oba...
From our African Collection: Large scale tall figure with scarification, Dogon and Songe, Tanzania. Square Base with support 24 x 24", 72" h.
A large cow hide blanket, similar to a hide displayed at IES Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At first appearance, one might think this in the style of western Native America rock art or primitive Australian aboriginal art, due to the abstracted human figure and geometric forms. However, the origin is Ethiopia or northeastern Africa. Extreme dimensions are 72" by 64". The age is difficult to determine. This reminds so much of rock art sprinkled about arid parts of the American west, and Native ...
From our African Collection: A Luba Shield from the mid 20th century. 15 w x 40" h.
The Luba people or Baluba are an ethno-linguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.The majority of them live in this country, residing mainly in its Katanga, Kasai, and Maniema provinces. The Baluba consist of many sub-groups who speak various dialects of Luba (e.g. Luba-Kasai, Luba-Katanga) or other languages, such as Swahili.
The Baluba developed a soci...
The gourd container with a hardwood stopper with a head.
H. 17 cm. Mid 20th century.
Well carved helmet mask of the Bamileke People, Grassland of Cameroon around 1950, former collection of Dr. Heinz Werner Schmitt, Munich/Germany.
Size: 42 cm height. Good condition with great patina and some scrapes and scratches. Great.
The Bamileke are among the artistic elite of the Cameroon Grasslands area. They are ruled by kings, and many of their masks are for royal festivities. Masks like this one belonged to the regulatory society, (Kwifoyn). They are identified...
From our African Collection: A Nomoli Figure from Sierra Leone made from Stone. 9" across at base, 24" h.
Nomoli figurines are among the earliest works of art from Sierra Leone. The Nomoli figurines and similar stone sculptures are the only known remains of an empire that existed hundreds of years ago in what is Sierra Leone and Liberia today.
Nomoli figurines are often associated with the Mende people as they are often buried on Mende land. They are used as oracles and for protection.
...
From our African Collection: A Dogon Granary Door from the 1960s. 18 x 24" h.
The Dogon are among African cultures that have remained closest to their ancestral traditions.One such tradition is building granaries and houses for grain storage. Doors of these granaries are often adorned with impressive carvings of animals or people which serve as invocations of deities or spirits, or as symbols of status. The stored grain is considered "safe" when it is guarded by the ancestors whose images a...
Helmet "ngontang" mask with four faces of circular form and a top of cross form. Wood with white and black pigments. Old collection mark inside. Africa, Gabon, Fang ethnic group. Height: 19.5 cm. Diameter: 15.5 cm. The mask is nicely mounted on a custom stand. Abrasion, otherwise good condition. Provenance: French provincial auction sale.
From our African Collection: A Mossi Mask from Burkina Faso, 16" h.
TYPES OF ART
The Mossi make both political art and spiritual art. Figures are used by the ruling class to validate political power, and masks are used by the conquered peoples to control the forces of nature. Each year at the annual celebrations of the royal ancestors, figures of the deceased kings are displayed. On many occasions each year, especially during the long dry season from October to May, masks appear to honor...
From our African Collection: A Bamana Tribe Chief's Chair from Mali with a Crocodile Motif. 22" w x 52" h.
TYPES OF ART
The artistic tradition of the Bamana is rich, filled with pottery, sculptures, beautiful bogolanfini cloth, and wrought iron figures fashioned by blacksmiths. They also have extensive masking traditions, which are used as a form of social control and community education.
HISTORY
The Bamana are members of the Mande culture, a large and powerful group of peoples in w...
Mid 20th century. H. 60 cm.
ex Robert van der Heijden, Amsterdam.
ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague.
From our African Collection: 2 Baga Snakes, both are 72" h.
The serpent Baga (Baga Snake), Kalimbe, or Bansonyi, refers to a protective spirit manifested in the form of a snake that presides over male initiation ceremonies among the Baga culture in Guinea, West Africa. Typically, during the days preceding the initiation ceremonies, two carved Bansonyies appear in the village and are decorated with streamers and colorful banners. The two sculptures are then supported by scaffolding and carr...