Paolo Birello Figurative Sculptures

To relieve stress and uplift their Community, the Baule people of modern-day Côte d'Ivoire engage in a daylong masquerade known as the Mblo. A series of dances that escalate in compl...

Beautiful, and large, vintage Murano hand blown Sommerso green with bubbles and cobalt blue Italian art glass snail sculpture. Documented to the Salvia...

Intriguing good looking mask artistically made of combination of hand crafted beads ,shells , and hand painted wood. To make such a exceptional object of art for display. Custom-mad...

This helmet mask created by the Mende people of Sierra Leone was made for the women of their tribe to wear while dancing. Commissioned by women for their ...

Beautiful vintage Murano handblown Sommerso red amethyst Italian art glass guinea or quail bird sculpture. Attributed to the Salviati company. Has origina...

Beautiful and large, vintage Murano hand blown dark transparent amber / olive with gold flecks Italian art glass woman farmer / gardener sculpture. The piece is attributed to designe...

Beautiful and unique Murano Style Entwined Sculpture Italian Art Glass with rainbow colors to form an elegant sculpture set on a square glass base.

Very important “Nwantamtay” dance African mask, consisting of three sections: The upper in plain rectangular shape surmounted by a crescent shape moon, the middle with beautiful geometric triangles in black bitumen and white kaolin, surrounding a red cruciform in the centre of remarkable contrasting colors, and the lower part or face inscribed in a circular space that inspired numbered great artists like Joan Miro, Picasso and Henry Moore of a very strongly solar symbolism, with a projecting protuberance emanating from the forehead like a sculpted bird beak, that descents toward the mouth. Concentric eyes harmonize with the circular mouth, both with of elegant proportions. The whole mask exudes a supreme harmony and perfect balance rarely seen in this pieces. The back-side presents nice ware that attested the ancient origin and traces of animistic ceremonies as the use of animal blood residues. The painting of brown bitumen or cola, the natural colorants in red and ocher tones and the white kaolin are original and do not show any repainted or restored areas, giving a freshness rarely seen in old pieces. This exceptional mask Bwa, of the Hound`e Region in Burkina-Fasso, was used it the transit ceremonies and funerals manifesting the presence of “Do”, name given to their God sons, protectors and powerful spirits. The round face also represents an owl, the curving beak of the bird plants a seed into the sun, like a female sexual vulva being fecundated by the male organ; the eternal symbol of Ying and Yang, masculine and feminine, and the quest of life and death. This mask of Primitive facture can be compared to the one in the celebrated Verite Collection (this one being larger) sold in Paris at the Hotel Drouot, Saturday June 17, Lot 59, for 80,000 Euros and remarkably stands out from the Pierre and Tannia Matisse sold in Sotheby’s, New York in May 13, 2011. Another similar piece was published in: “Arman et l’art africain...

Beautiful vintage Murano hand green, red, and blue Italian art glass bunny rabbit figurine / sculpture. The piece is documented to the Gambaro & Poggi company, with an original "Vetr...

Carved grotesque wood mask with pierced eyes, very hooked nose, cigar between very crooked bone teeth. Label on verso reads, “Willi Huggler (Swiss, 1925-2016), Holzschnitzereien, Bri...

Art Glass from murano island Italy, sculpture in green glass 1960s.

Gorgeous matched pair of vintage Murano hand blown white, dark amber and gold flecks Italian art glass bird on branch sculptures. Documented to th...