African Folk Art
2
1,123
16
10
to
59
674
416
1,149
1,145
1,146
145
19
14
14
2
1
45
98
980
26
280
363
108
7
2
13
19
23
33
33
31
7
5
529
260
201
93
90
11,455
4,850
4,255
3,697
1,752
117
25
9
6
4
Place of Origin: African
Two Antique Niger Bura Peoples Fired Clay Heads on Stands
Located in Morristown, NJ
Bura fired clay heads, possibly 3rd-10th c. CE, Niger, Bura peoples. These are very expressive examples on custom mounts, the larger with manganese deposits.
Between the 3rd and 10th centuries, the dead were laid to rest at a site in present-day Niger downstream from the Inland Niger delta. The burial ground’s density and expanse suggest a veritable city of the departed. Several hundred individual graves were marked by upturned pottery urns, some of which were cylinders topped by figurative imagery. The most elaborate of these were full-bodied equestrians, while the most basic were highly abstract, independent heads.
Note: These figures will be professionally packed by a specialist shipper at the sellers expense.
Dimensions:
11.25"h x 6.75"w x 3"d and 8"h x 3.75"w (incl. stands)
Condition:
Good, wear consistent with age and materials
Provenance:
Acquired by the present owner from Dr. David Rilling, 1990s.
About Dr. David Rilling.
A Pennsylvania based medical doctor, Dr Rilling began collecting African and Oceanic antiques...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Tribal Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Clay
1960's Himba Head Adornment
Located in London, GB
The Himba of Northern Namibia are immediately recognisable by their distinctive hairstyles, which are determined by their age, gender and marital status. Both Himba men and women wea...
Category
1960s Tribal Vintage African Folk Art
Materials
Natural Fiber, Beads
Antique superb Pende mbuya mask DR Congo late 19th century
Located in Leuven, BE
Antique superb Pende mbuya mask DR Congo late 19th century
Mask with filed teeth !
Available at art Gallery Decoster Belgium
Tribe : Pende
Country : DR Congo
Age: late 19th / early...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Superb museum quality Holo mvunzi wooden statue late 19th century Congo
Located in Leuven, BE
Superb and rare museum quality Holo mvunzi wooden statue late 19th/early 20 th century DR Congo / Angola
For sale at Art Gallery Decoster Belgium
Tribe :...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Slender 19th Century High-Backed Ethiopian Chair
Located in London, GB
This late nineteenth-century chair, from the Gindabarat in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, has been finely carved from a single piece of dense, heavy wood. The circular, narrow-in-siz...
Category
Late 19th Century Tribal Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Ivory Coast Zoomorphic Dance Mask, Gouro People
Located in London, GB
A beautifully painted, stylised ritual dance mask with an assertive presence, used by the Gouro people of the Ivory Coast. The mask is in the form of an African wild dog...
Category
Mid-20th Century African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
20th Century Red Mola Quilt, Kuna People, San Blas Islands, Panama
Located in Point Richmond, CA
20th century Mola quilt, Kuna People, San Blas Islands, Panama
This large quilt is composed of thirty-six molas, including some depicting various animals and sea creatures, Jesus Ch...
Category
1970s Tribal Vintage African Folk Art
Materials
Cotton
Yoruba Maternity Group
Located in London, GB
Yoruba Maternity Group
Wood, polychrome, pigment, scorching
Old collection name to base: ‘Sealy’ and ‘16.’
Nigeria
Late 19th Century
SIZE: 58cm high - 22¾ ins high
PROVENANCE:...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Carved bust of a tribeswoman
Located in Cheshire, GB
Finely carved wooden bust of a striking tribeswoman figure carved from an exotic hardwood with a rich patina free standing.
Dimensions
Height 22 Inches
Width 13 Inches
Depth 17 Inches
Category
Early 20th Century African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
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 Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Yaka Standing Wood Janus Male/Female Divination Figure DRC Congo, Africa
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Yaka Carved wood standing Janus back to back male/female divination figure DRC Congo, Africa
The figure is 17 1/2" inches mounted on a custom metal stand. Male figure with open mout...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
A Rare Anthropomorphic Tsonga Headrest
Located in London, GB
A Rare Anthropomorphic Tsonga Headrest
An old paper label: ‘African Pillow Bt. Webster. Sep 1897. P.’
Fine colour and patina through use
Wood, pigment, paper label
Zimbabwe
19th...
Category
19th Century Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Paper
Early 20th Century Ethiopian Stool with Phallic Form
Located in London, GB
Finely carved from a single piece of wood, this stool from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia displays a wonderful sculptural quality. Four cone-shaped legs support the stool's slightly-c...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Senoufo Ivory Coast 'Kpelié' Initiation DancMask, First Half of the 20th Century
Located in London, GB
A strikingly darkly patinated and geometrically inscribed ritual mask made by the Senoufo people of the Ivory Coast. This delicately carved mask, with its characteristic arched eyebr...
Category
Mid-20th Century African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Ebony Benin Kingdom, Bust Carving Of A Young Nigerian Warrior, 1970's
By People from Benin
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Hand carved ebony hardwood bust of a young Benin warrior
Traditionally carved Benin artistry
Circa 1970
Height 10.75 inch, Width 5.5 inch, Depth 2.75 inc...
Category
Late 20th Century Folk Art African Folk Art
Materials
Ebony
Hand Painted Wooden African Mask & Snake
Located in Costa Mesa, CA
Hand Painted Wooden African Mask & Snake
Dimensions on the snake are as follows 25'' long by 6.25'' tall roughly 1.5'' thick
Category
1970s Mid-Century Modern Vintage African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
African Mask Makonde
Located in Schellebelle, BE
Beautiful African Mask from Mozambique,
Makonde Tribe, from around 1965,
the mask has a great old patina and shine,
made of wood and animal skin and human air,
powerful collecters item
Category
1960s Vintage African Folk 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
Late 19th Century Folk Art Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Bronze
Dinka stylized animal form carved wood headrest, East Africa
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Dinka stylized animal form carved wood headrest, East Africa. On three "legs" with curved top. Deep patina from handling and use.
12 1/2 inches long,
Created mid 20th century or e...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Salampasu Warrior Mask
Located in Chicago, IL
Divided into contrasting tones, 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 Folk Art African Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Bembe Bearded Male Figure Bust with Beard Staff Top DRC Africa
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Striking Bembe bearded male bust figure with hands on sides of projecting stomach and finely carved beard. Stacking square hair style on top of head and projecting element hair on b...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Superb museum quality Antique Lobi or Bwa stool Burkina Faso / Mali
Located in Leuven, BE
Antique superb rare Lobi or Bwa stool Burkina Faso / Mali region
Available at Art Gallery Decoster Belgium
Tribe : Bwa or Lobi
Country : Burkina Faso / Mali
Late 19th / Early 20th ...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Fine Early Twentieth-Century Figurative Flutes
Located in London, GB
Together, these two finely carved flutes display a wonderful interplay of the abstracted forms of a 'male' and 'female' figure. A strip of snake skin has been wrapped around the 'bo...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Early 20th Century Reclining Lobi Backrest With Two Legs
Located in London, GB
With a low seat supported by two splayed legs, this Lobi backrest from Burkina Faso exhibits a wonderful form with a long, reclining back support. Throughout, the surface of the piec...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal African Folk 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 Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Large Mid-Twentieth Century Traditional Food Bowl
Located in London, GB
Carved from a hard, dense wood, this large traditional food bowl from the Lozi culture in Zambia displays a beautiful round form. A band of diamond-shaped designs, each decorated wi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Portrait of African Women in Copper by Tshiasuma, circa 1984
By Tshiasuma
Located in VÉZELAY, FR
Original copper panel representing two women's faces.
Handmade brassware work by an African artist.
Art Deco Colonial style, Africa, 80s.
Signed and dated: "Tshiasuma 84".
In good ...
Category
1980s Colonial Revival Vintage African Folk Art
Materials
Copper
Early 20th Century, Large Terracotta Vessel, Spiked Vase African Pottery, Lobi
Located in Göteborg, SE
Beautiful large African urn in terracotta made by the Lobi people of Burkina Faso.
This urn is very decorative with a small figure sitting on the lid. The urn is 81 cm high and 45 c...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Terracotta
African Statue 'Boli' Bambara Mali C1950
Located in Paris, FR
African Statue 'Boli' Bambara Mali C1950 Zoomorphic altar statuette (Boli). Kono tribe.
Provenance: Swedish private collection, inherited with the Fam...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Earthenware
Early Ibibio Standing Wood Male Shrine Figure, powerful, Nigeria, Africa
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Early Ibibio standing carved wood male figure, powerful expression with hands on sides of stomach, exposed teeth and vertical raised scarification marks on sides of face. From a shr...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Ewe sculptures
Located in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NL
Trio of small Ewe sculptures from Togo or Ghana.
Category
1950s Tribal Vintage African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
West Africa Senufo Cast Bronze Mask Kpelie, Circa 1950s
Located in Torquay, GB
Ancestral Senufo cast bronze face mask (Kpelie) from Côte d'Ivoire West Africa.
Made using the lost wax technique.
Traditionally, the 'Kpelie' is an ancestral mask worn during funeral rites, initiation ceremonies, weddings and births.
The function of the mask is determined by the crest at the top of it's head and the subtle scarification markings it carries.
The female mask will normally have a plug on it's mouth with the male masks having an open mouth and longer protruding jaw.
It is believed that the mask itself embodies the spirit of the dead, hence the name 'Dead Face'
The delicate attributes of this mask is a fine example of the excellent artistry of the Senufos.
This is a male Senufo Mask...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Metal, Bronze
Fine Female 'Biteki' Figure (Ex Romy Rey Collection)
Located in London, GB
This beautifully carved 'Biteki' figure, from the Yaka culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, depicts a female crowned with a large, abstracted coiffure. The figure exhibit...
Category
20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
A Fine and Large Egyptian Limestone Relief Carved in Shallow Relief
Located in London, GB
A Fine and Large Egyptian Limestone Relief Carved in Shallow Relief
Traces of original polychrome
Old Kingdom / 5th Dynasty / 2454 - 2311 B.C
Size: 32cm high, 70cm wide, 5cm deep - 12½ ins high, 27½ ins wide, 2 ins deep
Provenance:
Ex Private Swiss collection, acquired mid 1960s and thence by descent
Ex Rupert Wace Limited London
Ex Private London collection
cf A...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Limestone
Fine Early 20th Century Chokwe Mask (Ex Afrika Museum Collection)
Located in London, GB
This early twentieth-century mask, from the Chokwe culture in Angola, displays unusual features. Carved from a light wood and decorated with yellow pigments, this fine mask exhibits ...
Category
1940s Tribal Vintage African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Ceramic Mask by N Dala, Congo, 1970s
Located in Antwerp, BE
Beautiful ceramic mask by N. Dala. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Perfect original conditions, 1975.
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern African Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic, Terracotta
19th Century Ethiopian Throne
Located in London, GB
This large, impressive nineteenth-century Ethiopian throne, from the Wollega Oromo culture, features a high, upright back-rest.
An attractive cut-ou...
Category
Late 19th Century Tribal Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
19th Century Ethiopian Royal Bed (Former Tekalegn Besapa Collection)
Located in London, GB
This amazing nineteenth-century Ethiopian bed, personally collected in Ethiopia in the 1990's, formally belonged to the collection of Tekalegn Besapa, in Addis Ababa. This type of be...
Category
19th Century Tribal Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Fine 19th/Early 20th Century Fetish Figure
Located in London, GB
This fine fetish figure, from the Luba/Kusu culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, dates back to the early twentieth-century or before, to the nineteenth-century. The carve...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Set of Three Vintage Zulu Long Wood Pipes on Custom Stands Beads South Africa
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Set of three vintage Zulu long wood pipes on custom metal stands, South Africa. Each on separate stand so can be arranged in multiple ways. Longest pipe wi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
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 Folk Art African Folk Art
Materials
Fabric, Cotton, Wood
Finely Carved Tanzanian Chieftain's Stool
Located in London, GB
This beautifully carved title stool, from the Gogo culture in Tanzania, features a wonderful looped and adjoining structure. Dating back to the mid-twentieth century, this fine examp...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
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 Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Old Bulu Cameroon Singe Mask Large
Located in Torquay, GB
On offer is a rare large sized 'Singe' Monkey mask from the Bulu people of south central Cameroon. The Bulu are a sub-group of the Cameroon Fang, having originated from Gabon.
This...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Important and Rare Igbo Prestige Stool
Located in London, GB
This large, rare Igbo title stool from Nigeria displays a wonderful sculptural form.
The circular seat and base are connected by a series of beautifully curved supporting legs, whi...
Category
20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Decorative and Mid Century African Hand Made Wooden and Hide Tribal Drum, 1900s
Located in Stockholm, SE
Rare and beautiful handmade drum in painted wood and hide produced i Africa early 1900s / 20th century. In original condition.
Very decorative and genuine and works well with many c...
Category
Early 20th Century Folk Art African Folk Art
Materials
Hide, Wood
Fine Early 20th Century Bongo Ancestral Post
Located in London, GB
This fine early twentieth-century ancestral post, from the Bongo culture in South Sudan, takes the form of a tall, multiple-ringed column. Carved from a hard wood, the post exhibits ...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Tuareg Tent Plank
Located in Alessandria, Piemonte
O/5530 - Long curved axis for Tuareg tent, carved with geometric patterns : rare to find.
For Your use: ask to an architect, but I have some idea, like ab...
Category
Mid-20th Century Other African Folk Art
Materials
Hardwood
Mid-Twentieth Century Granary Door Lock in the Form of a Crocodile
Located in London, GB
This mid-twentieth century Bambara door lock from Mali has been carved into the form of a crocodile, a symbol of protection in the Bambara culture. The crocodile-shaped door lock, ad...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Hardwood
African Baule statue Mother with Childs, Ivory Coast mid XXem
Located in Paris, FR
African Baule statue Mother with child, Ivory Coast mid XXem
Provenance: Swedish private collection, from the 1980s. Then inherited within the family.
B...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Glass, Wood
Senufo Bird Sculpture
Located in London, GB
A lovely little hand carved Senufo Sejen bird sculpture from the early to mid 20th century, Africa, Ivory Coast.
Category
Early 20th Century Primitive African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Ancestral Dan Mask 'Deangle' with Cowrie Shells Large
Located in Torquay, GB
Large sized Dan Mask ('Deangle', 'Dan Gle') from Côte d’Ivoire W.Affrica, circa early 20th century.
To the Dan people, the 'Deangle' embodies the spirit of an individual ancestor d...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Rare 2 Faced Twin Lega Mask DRC Large Sized
Located in Torquay, GB
Rare large twin faced Lega mask of the Bwami society in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), circa 1930s.
This mask is very rare in that it is a large size ceremonial mask and would h...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Tribal Textile, Kuba Shoowa 20th Century
Located in Point Richmond, CA
An outstanding example of an early 20th century Kuba Prestige cloth, with variations of the endless knot motif, called Imbol by the Kuba.
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal African Folk Art
Materials
Natural Fiber, Raffia
Moroccan Moorish Orientalist Oil Painting
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Moroccan Orientalist oil on canvas painting of a 19th century Moroccan market scene with an old men seating on a carpet selling old coins and a Moorish...
Category
Mid-20th Century Moorish African Folk Art
Materials
Canvas
Fine Yoruba Ibeji Pair Igbuke Oyo African Tribal Art
Located in London, GB
African tribal art.
Fine old male and female pair of Yoruba Ibeji Figures from the Igbuke carving workshop in Oyo.
Igbuke was a known carver of Ibeji figures and this style is attri...
Category
Early 20th Century African Folk Art
Materials
Hardwood
19th Century Low Reclining Ethiopian Chair
Located in London, GB
Carved from a single piece of dense, heavy wood, this nineteenth-century Gurage low-set chair from Ethiopia exhibits an unusual, rare form. Consisting of a circular double-tiered seat with an angled, reclining back-support, the chair exhibits a deep glossy surface patina, particularly on the back-support and seat as a result of use. The chair is functional, and is reasonably comfortable to sit on.
Estimated Period: 19th Century
Ex Private Family Collection, Addis Ababa...
Category
19th Century Tribal Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
An Unusually Large and Fine Tsonga ‘Antelope’ Headrest
Located in London, GB
An Unusually Large and Fine Tsonga ‘Antelope’ Headrest
Wood, pigment, glass beads
Zimbabwe
19th Century
SIZE: 20cm high, 32cm wide - 8 ins high, 12½ ins wide
PROVENANCE:
Ex Pri...
Category
19th Century Antique African Folk Art
Materials
Glass, Wood
Read More
A Giant Wedding Cake Has Us Looking at Portuguese Tiles in a New Light
At Waddesdon Manor, artist Joana Vasconcelos has installed a three-tiered patisserie inspired by the narrative tile work of her homeland. We take a look at the cake sculpture and how Portuguese tiles have been used in architecture from the 17th century to today.
Why Jules Chéret Was the King of the Modern Poster
The streets of fin-de-siècle Paris were set aglow with colorful poster ads, thanks to the printing techniques invented by Jules Chéret. Now, the Milwaukee Art Museum is celebrating this undersung talent in America's first solo show dedicated his exuberant works.
Why the American Flag Has Had So Many Different Star Patterns
Expert Jeff Bridgman explains the history and meaning behind the twinkling constellations that have graced Old Glory.
Peggy Guggenheim Loved Modernism, but She Also Collected Tribal Art
The iconoclastic style setter displayed African and Oceanic art, as well as works by indigenous peoples of the Americas, alongside pieces by such major modernists as Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock.
The 13-Star American Flag Had More Variations Than You’d Think
Perfect for July 4th weekend, a new show at Philadelphia's Museum of the American Revolution displays an array of antique red, white and blue flags.
Tramp Art, America’s Most Misunderstood Art Form, Is Trending in Interiors
Designers are beginning to see this enigmatic form of folk art in a whole new light.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Campaign Display
Folk Art Carved Birds
American Federal Period Furniture
American Federal Period
War Eagle
L V Glasses
Art Folk Trunk
19th Century Indian Jewelry
Antique Rare Primitives
American Folk Art House
Canton Blue White
Canton Blue And White
Folk Art Soldier
Folk Art Carved Unusual
Large Banner
American Folk Art Flowers
Brass Flags
Star Wars Italian