Metal Tribal Art

1940s double gong iron African Currency.

Marroquin forged steel dagger with sheath. Beautiful koummya dagger with a sheath from the region of Morocco, circa 1870. The blade was created with forged steel, mounted in wood an...

Ashanti cast bronze ceremonial staff top in the shape of a hoe with 3 cast turtles, from Ghana. It is in good condition with a deep patina and polish from traditional use, appropria...

This magnificent gold bracelet was made for Ashanti royalty. The Ashanti Kingdom's wealth was significantly based on gold-mining and trading in gold, as well as agriculture. The ki...

Vintage Ethnic Himalayan Turquoise Coral Necklace A beautiful necklace of large Tibetan Turquoise beads interspersed with natural red coral beads with silver clasp Period 2nd half ...

Forged iron currency, Chamba people, Northeastern Nigeria A piece of traditional currency used for barter or exchange, it measures 15 inches (38 cm) high by 18 inches (45.7 cm) wide...

A fine a rare Japanese box masterly woven in copper, the box with lid and handles dates to 19th century Meiji Period, and it imitates the Ikebana bamboo basketry style Height 17...

Tribal Bronze Purse, Bag West Africa early-mid 20th century. leather and shell details.

A Benin bronze of an Oba. Oba means ruler in the Yoruba language. Wearing a lattice-pattern cap with strands of beads suspended around the head. The neck is bound with a lattice-patt...

Fine rare Antique Indian Hindu Mughal style Jade bracelet Period early 20th century Fine quality celadon type jade decorated with silver and semi precious stones Condition: Fine...

Vintage Asian Indian Silver Bracelet Beautiful cuff bracelet with pierced and pearl shaped edge design High grade silver Width 4 cm weight ...

Early to mid-20th century silver repoussé bracelet, China A beautifully made silver repoussé bracelet from China, with the Shòu symbol for long life...

Exceptional African Currency Object in Patinated Metal, Congo from around 1970, the metal has a beautiful Green colored patina and shine and has the correct signs and marks of use a...

A pair of West African incised iron and copper wire axe form currency pieces. On custom mounts. In the form of a ritual axe, which in many parts of Africa was carried over the shoul...

Pair of Bronze & Iron Ogboni Society staffs from the Yoruba People, Nigeria, early 20th century. Among the Yoruba, in southwestern Nigeria, there was and still is the Ogboni secret s...

19th century brass pendant on yellow multi-strand beaded necklace, Naga, India A graceful necklace of small yellow glass trade beads bead...

A beautiful bronze vessel, lidded ovoid pot on a circular support, made by the Asante People, Ghana. Nicely cast lid with 7 figures in the form of animals and reptiles are depicted o...

Akan Ashanti cast bronze figurine. The Ashanti or Asante People from Ghana have a rich tradition of crafting bronze pieces to commemorate important figures from their culture or peop...

A cast bronze group presenting a tribal chief (king) with his servants. A musician with a drum, a person with a palm leaf, another one holding an umbrella to give shade and two guard...

Akan Ashanti cast bronze figurine. The Ashanti or Asante People from Ghana have a rich tradition of crafting bronze pieces to commemorate important figures from their culture or peop...

A beautiful bronze vessel, lidded pot on three legs, made by the Asante People, Ghana. Nicely cast lid with 4 reptiles and a bird. Several faces are depicted on the side of the vesse...

19th-century bronze currency bangle / Manilla with a fixed opening. Minimalist, simple design work with engraved geometrical circles and lines. This type of bracelet was used and wor...

Early 20th-century brass or copper alloy with higher nickel content. Bracelet in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Turned design with rectangular shapes and carved swirling patterns...

Manillas are horse-shoe shaped, made of an open circle of bronze, brass, or copper with enlarged finial terminations. They were used as a currency in West African countries from the ...

Late 19th or early 20th-century brass or copper alloy with higher nickel content. Bracelet in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Pierced design with rectangular shapes and carved swi...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirled rope work design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with geome...

Forged bronze headdress or kind of crown/tiara "God of Thunder" which was used for protection. The size is slightly changeable, as the headdress bronze band is open on one side. Yoru...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical design with lines and accent points on the top and at both tips. This type o...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical design with a lattice pattern. This type of bracelet was worn or used by the...

Intriguing cast bronze relief plaque from Benin, showing three guardians. The plaque was modeled after ancient Benin bronzes but was made in the 20th century. The plaque is cast in b...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirl design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with cross pattern des...

Statues of Juju Man or shamans were used for ceremonies connected with religious beliefs and magical practices. The general understanding of their meaning as including a supernatural...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirl design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with 5 beads on each s...

Early to mid-19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in circle form. Intricate graphical geometrical. This type of bracelet was worn/used by the Zaghawa People also called Bé...

Early to mid-19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in circle form. Intricate graphical geometrical. This type of bracelet was worn/used by the Zaghawa People also called Bé...

Early 20th-century brass currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Hand-stamped and shaped graphical motives and the ti...

Bronze Dan (also called Yakuba) bell, Cote d'Ivoire, circa 1960s. This Dan bell is made from the lost-wax process. It has a looped handle and stylized designs on the bell and around ...

Wonderful object with arrow shaped blades. Beautiful decorative with complex and fascinating history; Iron currency tokens are among the most compelling and virtuosic of sub-Sahara...

This set of 3 pieces of African currency is very interesting. Looking like some sort of ancient maraca, these 19th century pieces jingle and noise-make with each step. The dimensions...

Amazing and scarce JUDAICA object, we have here one of the most touching jewish objects we had for a long time, this small silver dowry box was made in Algeria in the early 19th century, it is all covered with symbols of jewish faith and of couples, the sliding lid has 2 flanking birds with hamsa (protective hand) on each side and a flower vase in the middle. one side shows two flanking lions with a tree in the middle and the other side shows again two big and two small birds with a flower bowl in the middle, front side has a key hole and next to it there is the Hebrew inscription ס״ט״" which says Siman tov or in English "a good sign" it is taken from the wedding blessing, underneath the lock there is another inscription with the name ״עזיזה בת אברהם בן חמו״ which is the name of the bride, her father and her grandfathers name. the box is full marked a lot of times with the silversmith mark, every side of the box is marked. this box was probably ordered by the grooms family to hold the jewelry they are giving to the bride as dowry, this type of objects are rare and there are just a few of them on museum collections. DOWRY (Heb. נְדֻנְיָה), the property a wife brings to her husband at marriage; the Yiddish equivalent, nadn, is from the same root. The custom of nedunyah became clearly defined and institutionalized only in the talmudic period. In biblical times, mohar (מֹהַר), whereby the groom bought his wife from her father (Gen. 24:53; Ex. 22:15–16; Hos. 3:2), was the accepted practice. It was then customary that the groom give the bride gifts, and that she bring certain property to her husband's home upon marriage: slaves, cattle, real estate, etc. (cf. Gen. 24:59–61; 29; Judg. 1:14ff.; I Kings 9:16). Evidence of the custom of nedunyah is to be found in Tobit (7:14; 8:21) and in the Assuan papyri (Cowley, Aramaic, nos. 15, 18). Gradually, mohar was superseded by the ketubbah custom according to which the husband merely assumed the responsibility of compensation to his wife in case he divorced her: he had to pay her 200 zuzim if she had been a virgin at the time of marriage, and 100 zuzim if a widow or divorcée (see *Ketubbah). By talmudic times, the institution of nedunyah was prevalent; the father gave a dowry to the bride since the daughter was excluded from paternal inheritance. Fifty zuzim (equivalent to the worth of 180 grams of silver) was the minimum amount a father was obliged to give to his daughter (Ket. 6:5). Parents usually gave much more, according to their social standing. Community funds provided the dowry for an orphan or a very poor girl (ibid.; cf. Sh. Ar., YD 251:8). In case of her father's death, the brothers of a minor girl were obliged to give her the minimum dowry, and the court estimated how much her father would have given her above the minimum dowry. The sum was then taken out of the father's estate and given to the daughter upon majority (Ket. 6:6; 68a–69b). In the absence of such an estimate, each daughter was entitled to receive one-tenth of the value of her father's estate in money, or in valuables (Yad, Ishut, 20:4–7; Sh. Ar., EH 113:4). If the father was unable or unwilling to pay the promised dowry at the betrothal ceremony, the groom could refuse to marry his bride (Ket. 13:5; Ket. 108b–109a). Insistence on exact payment of the promised dowry, however, was frowned upon by later rabbinic authorities (Rema to Sh. Ar., EH 2:1). In certain communities it was customary for the groom's father to make a dowry contribution equal to that of the bride's father (Ket. 102b). The dowry, whether given in real estate, slaves, money, or chattel was recorded in the marriage contract (the ketubbah) and in some instances one-third or one-fifth of the actual value of the dowry was added to the sum mentioned in the ketubbah. Based upon a decree enacted by *Simeon b. Shetah (first century C.E.), the Talmud ruled that the husband and his entire property were liable for compensation as stipulated in the ketubbah, either in case he died (when she collected the sum specified in the ketubbah from the heirs) or in case he divorced his wife (Ket. 82b). For the status of the dowry and the husband's rights and obligations, see below. The rabbinic enactments (Takkanot Shum) by R. Jacob *Tam and by the rabbinic synod of the communities of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz (Germany) stipulated that if a woman died...

An exceptionally large Akha Tribe woven silver bracelet with spiral design. This Tribal bracelet encompasses tradition Hill tribe silversmithing techniques ...

Chamba, Nigeria, Africa Iron Early 20th century 14.5 x 7 in. / 37 x 18 cm Height on custom display stand: 16.5 in. / 42 cm Various models of these original currency bearers were...

An early 20th-century ceremonial chief's coat from Africa represents a magnificent display of cultural heritage and craftsmanship. These coats hold deep significance, symbolizing pow...

Topoke, DR Congo, Africa Iron Early 20th century 36 x 6 in. / 91 x 15 cm. Height on custom display stand: 38.25 in. / 97 cm. These big iron spear points were made by groups livi...

A Rare Large Antique Jambiya Dagger with highly ornate silver work with added gold gilding A superb example of a middle eastern Jambiya Height 3...

Mumuye, Nigeria Iron 22.75 x 5 in. / 28 x 13 cm Height on custom display stand: 24.5 in. / 62 cm

Miao Tribe Interlaced & Massed Rings Silver Pectoral Necklace Miao Tribe, Northern Vietnam, Laos & Southwest China, Mid 20th Century An exquisite Miao Tribe Interlaced & Massed Ri...

19th Century Bronze Coin with Silver Bezel Earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with bronze coins from Morocco and Egypt set in silver bezels a...

African door in carved wood and bronze of chief Baboun, Cameroon, early 20th century Art Baboun, Cameroon, early 20th century. Unique and rare object. C...

Vintage Southwestern Native American Pueblo Old Pawn cuff bracelet, circa 1915. Stamped ingot silver with a turquoise cabochon. The inner bracelet circumference measures approximatel...

Mid-20th Century Silver Khamsa and Copper Earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with rural Moroccan village pendants with three small khamsas, h...

Mid-20th Century Moroccan Silver Charm earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with rare silver charms from the Ida ou Nadif people living in the ...

The extraordinary talented throne (2018), a unique artwork by Gonçalo Mabunda in metal scraps and decommissioned ammunitions. Mabunda was born in 1975...

Mid-20th Century Silver Khamsa and Copper Earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with rural Moroccan village pendants with three small khamsas, h...

Superb Antique Moroccan Koumiya Berber Dagger A rare and superb example of a Moroccan Koumiya Berber Dagger with highly ornate silver and brass work a...

Mid-20th century silver tribal cuffs, Hazara tribe, Afghanistan A pair of silver cuffs worn by women of the Hazara tribe in Afghanistan. Very good workmanship and condition. Weight ...

Vintage Moroccan Berber tribal bracelet from the High Atlas of Morocco. Handcrafted by Berber women using Moroccan silver nickel. The ethnic Nomadic and Bedouin jewelry from the Ma...

A Rare and Historically Important Artefact Recovered from HMS Adventure in 1775 after Captain James Cook’s Second Voyage to the Pacific A ‘coconut husker’ made by a ship’s carpenter aboard HMS Adventure in the style and design of a Native Islander’s ethnographical ‘coconut husker’ An engraved and inscribed copper plaque: A memento from The Sandwich Islands Coconut Husker used aboard HMS Adventure and recovered from The Royal Dockyard Deptford 1775 Oak, iron, brass, copper, handmade iron screws Fine rich colour and patina England / Sandwich Island 18th Century SIZE: 15.5cm high, 49.5cm long, 20cm wide (max) - 6¹⁄₈ ins high, 19½ ins long, 7⁷⁄₈ ins wide (max) Provenance: Found in a Scottish attic after centuries of lying hidden in a crate Ex Private Scottish collection Captain James Cook’s second voyage aboard the Resolution and accompanied by HMS Adventure set sail in July 1772. The discovery of the southern eight islands of the Sandwich Islands group was in 1775. The given name was chosen in honour of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty. The copper plaque and inscription however should not be read as The Sandwich Islands ‘Owhyhee’ (The Hawaiian Islands) which were later discovered on January 18th, 1778, on Captain Cook’s third voyage. Rather the inscription refers to ‘South Sandwich Islands’ lying to the south east of South Georgia and only renamed later with the word ‘South’ to distinguish them from the ‘Sandwich Islands’ now known as the Hawaiian Islands. Not withstanding during Cook’s second voyage he visited Easter Island, Tahiti, Society Islands, Niue, Tonga, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Norfolk Islands, Palmerston Island and South Georgia. The crew onboard having been exposed to various types of ‘coconut huskers’ adapted those designs into the example we now see, having been rescued from HMS Adventure in 1775. A rare example of 18th century cross...