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Baule Painted Ram Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
The Baule people of the Ivory Coast used ram masks in secular, public performances. Realistically carved, and wonderfully decorated, they were designed to draw attention and enhance ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Early 20th Century Blue Painted Farmhouse Bench
Located in Chicago, IL
The painted exterior of this provincial farmhouse bench has weathered gradually from years of use to achieve the ultimate rustic finish. Once a vibrant, robin’s egg blue, the milk pa...
Category
Early 20th Century American Rustic Painted Furniture
Materials
Pine
Chinese Courtyard Grain Container, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This rustic wooden container dates to the early 20th century and was once used to store dry goods or household items in a provincial home in Yunnan province. Hollowed from a single t...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Primitive Antiquities
Materials
Wood
Sculptural 19th Century Horn Chair with Footstool
Located in Chicago, IL
A sculptural armchair and matching footstool from the late 19th century, artfully assembled from the curving forms of American cattle horns. At once delicate and dramatic, the chair ...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century American Folk Art Chairs
Materials
Horn, Wool, Wood
Provincial Chinese Trunk Mortar, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This large wooden mortar dates to the late 19th century and was originally used for crushing rice, grain, spices and other foodstuffs. Carved from a single tree trunk, the mortar has...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Organic Modern Antiquities
Materials
Wood
Chinese Polychrome Lucky Fish
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand-crafted from reclaimed wood, this artisanal koi sculpture is a traditional symbol of harmony and luck. For Buddhists, such a fish represents a freedom from all restraints. The f...
Category
20th Century Chinese Folk Art Animal Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Chinese Woven Garden Basket, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
It is easy to imagine someone, long ago, gathering a harvest from their garden or strolling to the market with this beautiful basket tucked under their arm. Hand-woven of young willo...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Decorative Baskets
Materials
Bentwood, Willow
African Topoke Iron Currency Blade, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
While shield and spear were central to African combat, this iron sword blade was most likely made to serve as a piece of trade currency. Many pre-colonization African currencies were...
Category
Early 20th Century Congolese Minimalist Mounted Objects
Materials
Iron
African Red & Green Painted Mortar
Located in Chicago, IL
Abstract and sculptural, this wooden form demonstrates the timeless appeal of African art. Hand-carved to an hourglass shape, the unusual figure is actually a grinding mortar, compri...
Category
20th Century African Tribal Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Central African Buffalo Slit Drum
Located in Chicago, IL
This large animal sculpture is actually a traditional African slit drum, a percussive instrument commonly carved from a single block of wood. Comprised of a hollow resonance chamber ...
Category
20th Century African Tribal Animal Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Kuba Iron Currency Spear, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
While shield and spear were central to African combat, this iron example was most likely made to serve as a piece of trade currency. Many pre-colonization African currencies were modeled after objects of inherent value, resulting in sculptural combinations of function and beauty.
This large iron spear dates to the early 20th century and is attributed to the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Secured to a narrow handle of iron and wood, the flattened blade has an elegant, sloping silhouette, subtly textured with raised lines and a rusted, antique patina. Forged as a broadleaf spear, the weapon contrasts a violent potential with images of peaceful branches swaying in the wind. We've set this unusual Kuba spear...
Category
Early 20th Century Congolese Tribal Mounted Objects
Materials
Iron
Pair of African Nyamwezi Trough Zithers
Located in Chicago, IL
These wooden sculptures are stringed instruments known as ligombo, a form of elongated trough zither attributed to the Nyamwezi people of Tanzania and greater East Africa. Originally...
Category
20th Century Tanzanian Tribal Mounted Objects
Materials
Wood
Kuba Dye-Resist Tcaka Textile
Located in Chicago, IL
Visually dynamic and highly textured, this raffia textile expresses the irregular, geometric patterns typical of Kuba textile art. Created by an artisan of the Kuba people of the Dem...
Category
20th Century Congolese Tribal Tapestries
Materials
Raffia
Tibetan Red & Gold Blossom Cabinet, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th century cabinet is brightly painted in the Sino-Tibetan style with lush florals and botanical scrollwork. Brushed by hand in an upbeat palette of golden yellow, red-o...
Category
Early 20th Century Tibetan Tibetan Sideboards
Materials
Pine
Chinese Polychrome Lucky Fish
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand-carved from reclaimed wood, this rustic koi sculpture recreates early 20th-century Chinese folk art designs. The fish is carved with a squat, rounded body and finished with colo...
Category
20th Century Chinese Folk Art Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood, Pine
Chinese Turned Wooden Mortar, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite pinewood vessel is an early 20th century mortar once used daily in a provincial kitchen to grind herbs, spices, and condiments. The rustic container was hand-turned to an...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Antiquities
Materials
Pine
Victorian Travel Grooming Kit, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This charming antique box dates to the late 19th century and is a Victorian-era travel kit with sewing and grooming tools, also known as an etui or nécessaire. The compact travel cas...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century American Victorian Antiquities
Materials
Metal
Salampasu Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
This ceremonial African mask is linked to the Salampasu people of the Bantu ethnic group located primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Salampasu masks...
Category
Mid-20th Century Congolese Folk Art Masks
Materials
Wood, Bamboo
"Iron Sponge Car" by Patrick Fitzgerald, 2019
By Patrick Fitzgerald
Located in Chicago, IL
To Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald, his sculptures are a means of traveling through time. Working from found materials, Fitzgerald constructs miniature soap box cars and the ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paper
Petite Pre-Columbian Chupícuaro Redware Olla
Located in Chicago, IL
This small olla jar is a beautiful example of Mesoamerican pottery, decorated with red, white, and orange slip in the style of Chupícuaro ware. Th...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Central American Pre-Columbian Jars
Materials
Ceramic
Tabwa Staff with Female Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
This hand carved 20th century wooden staff, was crafted in the style of the Tabwa people located along the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika. The handle is finely decorated with...
Category
20th Century South African Folk Art Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
Benin-Style Bronze Figural Pipe Mouthpiece
Located in Chicago, IL
World-renowned for high-quality lost wax casting, the city of Benin in West Africa has been a leading producer of fine cast brass and bronze sculptures since as early as the 16th cen...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Nigerian Folk Art Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Bronze
Handheld Chinese Mooncake Mold, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This late 19th century hand-held wood press is carved with a large mold used for shaping festive mooncakes. Packed with lotus root, red bean, or other regional fillings, mooncakes ar...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Antiquities
Materials
Wood
African Seated Luba Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
Artisans from the Luba tribe were renowned for the organic flow of their carving style. This example clearly shows the smooth transition from aspect to aspect, maintaining a singular...
Category
Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
Yoruba Ibeji Twin Figure
By Yoruba People
Located in Chicago, IL
With one of the highest rates of twin births in the world, Yoruba cultures place special social and religious significance on twins, referred to as "emi alagbara" or "powerful spirit...
Category
Mid-20th Century Nigerian Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
Painted Baule Blolo Bla Figure
By Baule Tribe
Located in Chicago, IL
The figurative sculptures of the Baule peoples of Cote d'Ivoire are recognizable by their strong, gently curving forms and serene composure. This figure of a woman was carved to repr...
Category
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Tribal Art
Materials
Wood
Terracotta Bura Spirit Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Buried with their flared mouths facing down, these cylindrical storage vessels protected the deceased's possessions as they transitioned to the afterl...
Category
Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
Terracotta Bura Spirit Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Sometimes called a "Bura bell" due to its shape, this sculptural terra cotta object was part of the Bura tribe's burial ritual. Buried with its flared mouth facing down, this cylindrical storage...
Category
Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
Terracotta Bura Spirit Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Sometimes called a "Bura bell" due to its shape, this sculptural terra cotta object was part of the Bura tribe's burial ritual. Buried with its flared mouth facing down, this cylindrical storage...
Category
Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
Fang-Style African Painted Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
Light masks like these represented the spirit of an ancestor and were used for social control by Ngil, the judiciary association. The facial markings, abstract features and strong, e...
Category
Mid-20th Century Gabonese Tribal Wall-mounted Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Baule Painted Kpan Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
To ward off evil and exert positive influences on the spirit world, the Baule people engage in a daylong masquerade known as the Goli. A sequence of four masks are donned during the ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood
African Basuku Helmet Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
During their five hundred year history in the Southern Congo, the Basuku tribe developed a series of intricate rituals built around their skilled mask makers. This particular example was most likely carved in the likeness of a deceased chieftain. The artisan intentionally pronounced the eyes, cheeks, and chin to provide a terrifying test for young men as they underwent their rites for manhood. The Basuku's spiritual expressions inspired early 20th century western painters...
Category
20th Century Congolese Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
Handheld Chinese Mooncake Mold with Lotus Pods, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This late 19th century hand-held wood press is carved with a large mold used for shaping festive mooncakes. Packed with lotus root, red bean, or other regional fillings, mooncakes ar...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Antiquities
Materials
Wood
Nigerian Nupe Vessel Support
By Nupe
Located in Chicago, IL
The Nupe people of Nigeria were touted as some of the finest ceramicists in Africa. Everyday objects like this elegant, cylindrical vessel support received detailed attention. This f...
Category
Early 20th Century Nigerian Primitive Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Terracotta
African Bura Stone Funerary Marker
Located in Chicago, IL
This abstract stone sculpture is a funerary marker of the Bura people of the Niger/Mali region. Little is known about the Bura civilization (c. 200 to 1000 AD), but it shares many of...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Nigerien Primitive Mounted Objects
Materials
Stone
Beaded Ndebele Ceremonial Doll
Located in Chicago, IL
A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's oba (king). As beads become gradually more accessible throughout the 19th century, they began to displace the organic materials used in traditional art and attire.
This colorful example of African beadwork...
Category
Mid-20th Century South African Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Cotton, Wood, Fabric
Teotihuacan Redware Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
This intriguing redware figure was crafted in 400 A.D. from the ancient Teotihuacan region of Mexico. Earthenware figurines were made in great abundance throughout Teotihuacan's history. After 250 A.D. objects made from clay increased dramatically, serving a wide variety of purposes and functions from religious rituals to burial offerings.
Figurines like this commemorated important people and events within the city of Teotihuacan and other parts of Mesoamerica, portraying individuals of different rank and status such as soldiers, merchants, bureaucrats, and occasionally divinities. This figure is adorned with an elaborate headdress, a thick beaded necklace...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Mexican Pre-Columbian Figurative Sculpt...
Materials
Ceramic
Chupicuaro Redware Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
This standing effigy figure was crafted in 300 BC from the ancient Chupicuaro region of Mexico and was likely used as a ritual or burial offering. The ceramic works of the Chupicuaro...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Mexican Pre-Columbian Figurative Sculpt...
Materials
Ceramic
Pre-Columbian Ceramic Head Fragment
Located in Chicago, IL
This intriguing head fragment was once attached to a pre-Columbian bust or full effigy figurine. Earthenware figurines like this were made in great abundance throughout Mesoamerican history, serving a wide variety of purposes and functions from religious rituals to burial offerings.
Figurines like this commemorated important people and events across Mesoamerica, portraying individuals of different rank and status such as soldiers, merchants, bureaucrats, and occasionally divinities. This figure is adorned with an elaborate headdress, or coiffure, and ear spools...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Central American Pre-Columbian Figurati...
Materials
Ceramic
Maya Bird Sello Stamp
Located in Chicago, IL
Stamps, or sellos, such as this one were common during the pre-Columbian period in Mesoamerica and most popular during the Formative Period that spanned the years between 1200-800 B....
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Mexican Pre-Columbian Animal Sculptures
Materials
Ceramic
Petite Chupicuaro Female Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
This standing female figure was crafted in 400-100 BC from the ancient Chupicuaro region of Mexico. The ceramic works of the Chupicuaro people are distinguished by their slanted, cof...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Mexican Pre-Columbian Figurative Sculpt...
Materials
Ceramic
La Tolita-Tumaco Standing Female Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
This standing effigy was crafted in 500 A.D. - 1000 A.D. Mesoamerica using the gray clay paste that characterizes La Tolita-Tumaco ceramics of early Colombia-Ecuador. The art of La Tolita-Tumaco civilization is considered one of the most developed of the pre-Columbian period as metalwork and ceramics were the most popular form of cultural expression. The ceramic creations of this culture were often based on the human figure to create portraits of people and realistic daily scenes of life cycles and the human condition.
This figure appears to be wearing a loincloth and is adorned with a beaded necklace and an elaborate coiffure or headdress. There are holes lining each ear indicating the potential use of ear spools...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier South American Pre-Columbian Figurative...
Materials
Ceramic
Teotihuacan Ceramic Head Fragment
Located in Chicago, IL
This intriguing head fragment was once attached to a bust or full effigy figurine crafted in 400 A.D. Mesoamerica. Earthenware figurines were made in great abundance throughout Teotihuacan's history. After 250 A.D. objects made from clay increased dramatically in Teotihuacan, serving a wide variety of purposes and functions from religious rituals to burial offerings.
Figurines like this commemorated important people and events within the city of Teotihuacan and other parts of Mesoamerica, portraying individuals of different rank and status such as soldiers, merchants, bureaucrats, and occasionally divinities. This figure is adorned with an elaborate headdress, a thick beaded necklace...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Mexican Pre-Columbian Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
"Embrace" Luba Headrest Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
The Luba people of Zaire believed that ancestors visited them through dreams. This belief led to elaborately worked headrests, known as "seats of dreams." Such headrests were used to...
Category
Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood
Petite African Redware Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite hand-formed vessel bears a richly textured surface of worn red clay slip and dark smoke marks. Likely intended for everyday use, the simple bottle-form vessel reflects th...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier African Primitive Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Petite African Redware Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite hand-formed vessel bears a richly textured surface of worn red clay slip and dark smoke marks. Likely intended for everyday use, the simple bottle-form vessel reflects th...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier African Primitive Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Nigerian Nupe Storage Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
The Nupe people of Nigeria were known as some of the finest ceramicists in Africa. Everyday objects, like this storage vessel, received detailed attenti...
Category
Early 20th Century Nigerian Primitive Urns
Materials
Terracotta
Lao Stamped Silver Ingot, c. 1950
Located in Chicago, IL
This silver alloy ingot is cast in the form of an elongated bar, with a slender, rectangular shape and curved ends. Resembling a shallow dish or incense stand, the ingot has a concav...
Category
Mid-20th Century Laotian Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Silver
"Protector One" Folk Art Crow Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
Richly textured with whimsical appeal, this late 20th century wooden crow is a delightful example of naive American sculpture. Poised mid-caw, the crow's wings are outstretched, read...
Category
Late 20th Century American Folk Art Animal Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Bamileke Figurative Round Stool
Located in Chicago, IL
Marked by the telltale Bamileke rounded disc seat and base, this stool features a group of pondering human figures as its vertical supports instead of the more common abstract carvin...
Category
Mid-20th Century Cameroonian Tribal Stools
Materials
Wood
Ethiopian Carved Wooden Headrest
Located in Chicago, IL
So as not to muss their intricate hairstyles while sleeping, Ethiopian women would traditionally rest their heads on these petite wooden stands. The combination of conic base and con...
Category
Early 20th Century Ethiopian Primitive Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood
"Senzo Titulo 'Michelangelo Antonioni'" by Patrick Fitzgerald, 2022
By Patrick Fitzgerald
Located in Chicago, IL
To Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald, his miniature car sculptures are a means of traveling through time. Born from a fascination with the soap box derby cars of his youth, each vehicle is an exercise in imagining the future through the lens of the past – or vice versa.
Built from found materials collected over the years, the car's futuristic form is layered with personal memories and keepsakes from the past. The most minute of details is always intentional – from the weathered finish to the fictitious sponsor to the miniaturized furnishings of the cramped interior.
This coloful vehicle entitled “Senzo Titulo” is a play upon the 1964 film "Il Deserto Rosso," or "Red Desert," by Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paper
"A + L" Car & Jacket by Patrick Fitzgerald
By Patrick Fitzgerald
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald uses his works as a means of resurrecting the idyllic worlds he once found in the Industrial surroundings of his youth. Raised in Grand Rapids...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Industrial Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paper
Petite African Redware Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite hand-formed vessel bears a richly textured surface of worn red clay slip and dark smoke marks. Likely intended for everyday use, the simple bottle-form vessel reflects th...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Malian Primitive Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Petite Pre-Columbian Redware Olla
Located in Chicago, IL
Exhibiting a rich patina and a beautifully irregular pattern of pitted wear, this petite redware olla vessel shows many telltale signs of Pre-Columbian pottery. The vessel has a glob...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Central American Pre-Columbian Native A...
Materials
Ceramic
African Redware Gooseneck Vase
Located in Chicago, IL
Covered in a beautifully worn red clay slip, this hand-formed African vessel has a dramatic silhouette of a squat, ovoid body and a long, narrow neck. Subtly etched crosshatch patter...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier African Primitive Vases
Materials
Ceramic
Nigerian Nupe Gourd-Form Water Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Inspired by the natural world, Nupe ceramicists fired this water vessel in the shape of a gourd. The vessel's varied surface textures and colors come from its functional design. The ...
Category
Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Vases
Materials
Terracotta
"Universal Soldier" Ghanaian Hand-Painted Movie Poster
Located in Chicago, IL
Starring Jean Claude Van-Damme and Dolph Lundgren, Universal Soldier was a pulpy action/sci-fi from the early 1990s. The film's international success is...
Category
1990s Ghanaian Paintings
Materials
Paint, Paper
Metallic Studded Bambara Figure by Brian Stanziale
By Brian Stanziale
Located in Chicago, IL
In an exclusive collaboration with pagoda red, Chicago artist the bms. adds a contemporary twist to our collection of one-of-a-kind African art objects. Guided by its geometric line work, the bms. uses...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Malian Tribal Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal
Baule Male Ndoma Portrait Mask on Mount
By Baule Tribe
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
20th Century Ivorian Tribal Masks
Materials
Wood
