African Sculptures

Tsumeb Mine, Namibia Gem-quality cerrusite from this location is hard to come by and prized by collectors. Some of the best cerrusite in the world comes out of Namibia and this fine...

TRIBAL ART Large traditional puppet figurine with articulated arms. Polychrome hardwood resting on its steel base. A favorite for this old puppet figurin...

This specimen boasts a glistening coating of beautifully gemmy, emerald green dioptase crystals on matrix. The name “dioptase” comes from Greek and references the visibility of the t...

This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a striking striped background. It produces a calming effect, clearing away nega...

Pietersite is prized for its incredible chatoyancy and this specimen makes no exception. Hand-polished out of one solid piece of the rare mineral from the only location where it is f...

The Kingfisher monkey was designed by Zimele Original Ceramics in South Africa.Hand painted by Victor Hand sculpted by Matrinah.The African Circus collection, in Victor's words: This...

This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a striking striped background. It produces a calming effect, clearing away nega...

This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a striking striped background. It produces a calming effect, clearing away nega...

Beautiful one-of-a-kind, free-form ocean jasper bowl from Madagascar. This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a strikin...

Two Large Kabylie Ceramic Dishes Kabylie Berber People Algeria Late 19th to early 20th century Hand molded ceramic, painted designs Diameter: 17" and 17.75" Depth: 2 3/4...

This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a striking striped background. It produces a calming effect, clearing away nega...

LIDDICOATITE TOURMALINE WITH QUARTZ Anjanbonoina, Antananarivo Prov., Madagascar 7.1 cm tall x 6.8 cm wide Liddicoatite is an uncommon form of tourmaline. It was first discovered in ...

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...

2 African iron Bandaka hoe currency, Mabila and Chamba Peoples, Nigeria and Cameroon. The iron, hammered into the form of a hoe, was used as currency. Mounted they are wonderful pie...

This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a striking striped background. It produces a calming effect, clearing away nega...

Introducing the Wiseman Ceramics Rhino Bust, a stunning piece hand-sculpted by Thabo Mbhele and painted by Wiseman Ndlovu. Part of the prestigious Big Five Collection, this captivati...

This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a striking striped background. It produces a calming effect, clearing away nega...

Rare, inky, lustrous, sharply defined descloizite from a pocket mined in the 1970s out of the Tsumeb Mine in the Oshikoto Region of Namibia, the large, fully formed crystals on this ...

Decorative tribal mask from Mali, from the middle XX century.

The name “dioptase” comes from Greek and references the visibility of the twin cleavage plains within the startlingly translucent, brilliantly emerald green crystals of this rare cop...

Wonderful green stone bust of a distinguished gentleman by Edward C. Ndoro (Zimbabwe, 1973- ). 18 inches in height.

This exquisite Polished Ocean Jasper Heart from Madagascar consists of a distinct pattern of "orbs" on a striking striped background. It produces a calming effect, clearing away nega...

Sourced in just one location on earth – Merelani Hills, Tanzania, near Mt. Kilimanjaro – blue-on its front face and violet from its side angles and most importantly red on the c- ...

Small dancing Lobi figure with arms out, and cubist face from Ghana, West Africa. ex James Willis, San Francisco, CA. Damage to proper right hand, fingers absent. Heavy encrusted p...

Elephant bird egg from Madagascar. The largest egg ever from a living creature; it is from the extinct elephant bird. Assembled from the shards of se...

Strong standing female figure with wonderful black braided hair style. From the Ewe people of Ghana, West Africa. Powerful muscular body and wide open eyed expression. Nice patina...

From N'Chwaning I Mine, Kuruman, Cape Province, South Africa, this lustrous, stark black, sharply hexagonally crystallized specimen of gaudefroyite with hematite brings unexpected pr...

From Merelani Hills in Tanzania, this gemmy, verdant chrome diopside features a beautiful natural termination and incredible pigmentation. This excellent gem crystal specimen will ad...

This combination specimen from the DRC features a metallic etched, octahedral carrollite on a fascinating matrix comprised almost entirely of a single calcite crystal growing in a rh...

A fine example of a early 20th century iron currency from the Afo tribe in Nigeria. Also called a hoe currency the abstract shape refers to the blade of a hoe as to symbolise the con...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

All our TOTEM sculptures are hand carved in Southern Africa from sustainable alien timber by a group of Zimbabwean artists who set their own prices, thus making them fair trade. We t...

All our TOTEM sculptures are hand carved in Southern Africa from sustainable alien timber by a group of Zimbabwean artists who set their own prices, thus making them fair trade. We t...

All our TOTEM sculptures are hand carved in Southern Africa from sustainable alien timber by a group of Zimbabwean artists who set their own prices, thus making them fair trade. We t...

This bronze statuette of striking modernity,in a minimalist and refined style is part of an eminently small corpus. The fluidity of the forms and the remarkable purity of the figurin...

Small scaled african head bust hand carved in black wood. It has a slight tilt - leaning to one side. It features fine details and textures. Particularly ...

This luscious green copper carbonate mineral specimen from the DRC has been expertly hand-carved into an elegant dolphin and hand-polished to a brilliant luster to enhance its gorgeo...

Crafted from top-quality malachite sourced from Zaire, this hand-polished egg boasts a distinct banded pattern and solid composition without any fill. Displayed on an acrylic stand, ...

Malachite natural specimen sculpture A large natural malachite specimen on a cypress wood base. Cypress wood is softwood and not heavy. The beautifully shaped piece of malachite is ...

This luscious green copper carbonate mineral specimen from the DRC has been expertly hand-carved into an intricately detailed duck and hand-polished to a brilliant luster to enhance ...

This hefty sphere of AAA-quality malachite with gorgeous color and natural patterns including a plethora of beautiful bullseyes comes from the DRC and has been expertly hand-polished...

Hand-Carved Wood 'Luba' Fertility Statue. Democratic Republic of the Congo, circa 1970.

Nafana "Bedu" mask, from Southern Burkina Faso/Ivory Coast. Wood with natural earth pigments. Note the double faces, one with tubular eyes and mouth for the dancer and the larger a...

This genuine polished Malachite Sphere (2.25 lbs) is sourced from Zaire and features a well-defined green banded pattern. It is solid material with no fill and comes with an acrylic ...

Beautiful Coco de Mer, Coco de Fesses or Coco D'Amour from the Seychelles Islands in particular from Isle Pralin, this iconic nut has a great warm color and shine, it has its symmetr...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

Tribal Carved-Stone ‘Hear No Evil’ Sculpture. Republic of Congo, circa late 19th Century.

A pair of monumental limestone sphinxes of Pharaoh Nectanebo I, from the processional avenue of the Serapeum of Memphis, 30th Dynasty, circa 379 - 360 BC. The sphinxes of the Serapeum have captivated travellers since Roman times. However, despite their significance, they are conspicuously absent from the collections of most major museums. Indeed, their existence in private hands is so improbable, and their imitations so numerous, that the present sphinxes were assumed to be modern copies throughout their recent ownership history. Finally recognised and conserved after an extraordinary chance discovery at a garden furniture sale...

Usha Seejarim works with mundane, everyday objects that resonate with daily household rituals and women’s labour globally, reinterpreting these into sculptural forms. Clothing pegs a...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

A striking polished labradorite freeform sourced from Madagascar, naturally formed over thousands of years. Characterised by its iridescent colours, principally blue, this high grade...

Two hand-carved and colorfully painted 20th century wood workmen. A whimsical pair with expressions we can all understand. Decorative and interesting!

A well-loved traditional stool or seat from the Akan people of Ghana. The supports for Akan stools take many forms, they can be purely geometric or architectural with simple posts a...

So as not to muss their intricate hairstyles, tribal leaders would rest their heads on these petite wooden stands. The combination of conic base and concave rest gives these function...

Exceptionally Fine Wooden Sarcophagus Mask Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, circa 1069-945 BC. Acacia wood, rosewood, hippopotamus ivory Masterfully carved from a single piece of fine-grained hardwood, the present mask is characteristic of the most exquisite funerary art made during the 21st Dynasty, and was probably commissioned for a particularly high-ranking individual. The oval face displays a gently smiling mouth with full, outlined lips, furrows at the corners and a bow-shaped philtrum. The straight nose with rounded nostrils, the cheeks full and fleshy and the large, almond shaped eyes with heavy lids and tapering cosmetic lines, set below long, sweeping eyebrows. Social collapse across the Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age meant that the 21st Dynasty in Egypt was a period of great turmoil. Trade routes were disrupted, governments collapsed, and mass migration occurred. Economic scarcity meant that traditional funerary practices in Egypt were also affected, with a lack of material and financial resources leading to the reuse of preexisting material. As a result, during the 21st Dynasty, 19th and 20th Dynasty coffins changed ownership rapidly and were heavily recycled for new purposes. Tombs were also unmarked allowing them to be shared by many people. These new practices brought forth a shift in the understanding of funerary paraphernalia. No longer important objects owned forever by the deceased, they were now simply seen as short-term transformative devices, whose symbolic and ritualistic meaning could be appropriated for others. However, paradoxically, the art of coffin-making also reached new heights during this period, and many of the richly dec- orated “yellow” coffins, characteristic of the 21st Dynasty, are remarkable works of art in their own right. Indeed, knowing that coffins were being reused throughout Egypt, the Egyptian élite set themself apart by commissioning lavish sarcophagi decorated with the images and texts meant to help guide them to the afterlife, and which would otherwise have adorned the tomb walls. As coffins were the chief funerary element which now identified the dead and allowed them a physical presence in the world of the living, their quality and appearance were of the utmost importance. The traditional coffin ensemble was made of three parts: a wooden mummy cover, which laid directly atop the mummy, an inner coffin, and an outer coffin, both made of a lid and case. Additional decorative elements, such as masks, were carved out separately and later glued or pegged to the lids. After the completion of the painted decoration, the sarcophagus was covered in a varnish to give it its yellow colour. Gilding was sometimes used for the coffins of the high priests’ families, notably on parts representing naked skin, such as the face mask. However, some of the élite tactically avoided gilding altogether as to ensure that their coffin would not be looted. When manufacturing the inner and outer coffins, particular attention was paid to the woodwork. Displaying the skill of the carpenter, this type of funerary art has largely remained unparalleled throughout Egyptian history. The principal wood used to craft the present mask is Acacia nilotica. The evergreen Egyptian acacia was considered sacred and said to be the tree of life, the birthplace of the god Horus, as well as symbolic of Osiris, the god of the dead and resurrection. The modelling of the face in the wood is superb, but the inlays also help mark this mask out as exceptional. Inlaid eyes and eyebrows were extremely rare and reserved to the finest and most expensive coffins. Traditionally, eyes were made of calcite, obsidian, or quartz, and eyebrows of coloured glass paste or bronze. Here, the pupils, eyebrows, and cosmetic lines are inlaid with Dalbergia melanoxylon, a rare type of wood which belongs to the rosewood genus. In antiquity, however, it was known as Ebony of the Pharaohs, from the Egyptian word “hbny”, meaning dark timber, because of its black, lustrous appearance. An extremely dense and hard wood requiring significant skill to work with, ebony was a luxury material highly coveted by the pharaohs themselves, to make furniture, decorative and funerary objects. The wood was imported with great effort from the southern Land of Punt, most likely modern Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, alongside other luxury goods such as gold and ivory. A magnificent ebony throne, recovered in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, illustrates the incredible aesthetic potential of this material and why it was so highly valued by Egyptian royalty. Only élite members of Egyptian society could have afford- ed Ebony of the Pharaoh inlays for their funerary mask. The sclerae on the present piece were once both inlaid with hippopotamus ivory. Whiter than elephant ivory, this type of ivory is also denser, and more difficult to carve. The use of this luxury material, reputed for its gleaming appearance, enhances the lifelikeness of the eyes. For the Egyptians, hippopotamus ivory was imbued with magic powers. The hippopotamus was indeed both feared and venerated due to its aggressive behaviour. Whilst the male hippopotamus was associated with danger and chaos, the female was benevolent and invoked for protection, especially of the house and of mothers and their children, through the hippopotamus goddess Tawaret. Thus, not only was hippopotamus ivory used as an inlay and to make practical objects, such as combs and clappers, but it was also used to make talismans like apotropaic wands or knives. Made during a time of scarcity where few could afford made-to-order coffins, the present mask could have only belonged to one of the highest-ranking individuals in society. Undoubtedly one of the finest Egyptian coffin...

Weight: 70.85 Carats Dimension: 3.5 x 2.4 x 0.7 Cm Origin: Africa Colour: Red Pink and Green Shape: Carving Quality: AAA Tourmaline helps to create a shield around a person or room t...

Skulptur, Holz, mit Feuer geschwärzt Jems Robert Koko Bi, geboren 1966 in Sinfra an der Elfenbeinküste, kam nach seinem Studium in Abidjan nach Deutschland. Er arbeitete von 1992-19...

Introducing the extraordinary Elephant Vase designed by Wiseman Ndlovu, a vibrant celebration of African wildlife and artistry. Standing at an impressiv...