Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
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Place of Origin: Sub-Saharan African
Fine Headrest. Karamojong, Uganda
Located in London, GB
A beautifully formed headrest from the Karamojong in Northern Uganda.
Estimated Period: Mid-20th Century (Or Before)
Ex Private Collection, UK
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
African Bwa leper mask Burkina Fasso 20em S
Located in Paris, FR
Bwa mask from Burkina Fasso
Burkina Faso, Black Volta River region
Culture: Bwa peoples
Provenance: Private Swedish collection
Bwa plank masks are conceive...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Kenya Tribal Wood Headrest, Stylized Natural Animal Form, African Old and Worn
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Kenya tribal wood headrest, stylized natural animal form, early 20th century, African.
Early Rendille or Borana Headrest from Kenya. Using naturally found branch connections to form a stylized three legged animal form, these headrests were a treasured personal item...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Sculpture, Lobi Male Figure, Burkina Faso, Mid/Late-1900s
Located in Stockholm, SE
Sculpture, Lobi Male Figure with one hand pointing upwards, Burkina Faso. Mid/late-1900s.
Height excl. base 13 cm. Total height 15 cm. Patina, signs of age.
Provenance: Dealer and...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
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 Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Salampasu Ritual Wood Boat with Four Masked Figure & Attendants Congo
Located in Point Richmond, CA
A very rare example of an assemblage carved wood sculpture of a boat with a row of standing figures, the second wears the classic mask of the Salampasu people, of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Figures are attached with pins to the bottom of the boat...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Bariba People, Benin, Rare Terracotta Ceremonial Vessel
Located in Leuven , BE
This piece of a pottery vessel, embellished with high relief figures, was made by women of the ethnic group of the Bariba (or Baatonu) in the northern provinces of Benin. The Bariba potters passed their trade from mother to daughter. They didn’t make their vessels on a pottery wheel...
Category
20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Terracotta
Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida (Ivory Coast) hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched frame. This kerchief was not woven on ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Raffia
Naive Ethiopian Painting, Greatest Scenes of Religion, Society and History 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian painting, The Greatest Scenes of Religion, Society and History.
Oil on Canvas
Measures: 100 x 190 cm
s.b.r.
with Ge'ez language ...
Category
1970s Folk Art Vintage Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Canvas
Beninese Bronze and Rope Bust
Located in Miami, FL
Created in Benin some time during the late 19th Century, and acquired at the Albert F. Gordon Tribal Arts Gallery in New York in the early 1970s, this is a bronze cast bust embellish...
Category
Late 19th Century Tribal Antique Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Bronze
Bamileke Mask With Attached Original Sotheby's Receipt from 1979, Cameroon
Located in London, GB
This fine and early Bamileke mask, carved from a heavy hardwood, features a vibrant expression. The surface of the mask exhibits a deep, well-worn patina...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Hedle Pulley from the Baoulé / Baule tribe, Ivory Coast
By Baule Tribe
Located in Bilzen, BE
Baoulé / Baule loom hedle pulley from the beginning of the 20th century
Rich tribal patina and using traces
Beautiful stylization of the face
with custom base as shown in the photo...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Guere Mask from Cote d'Ivoire Africa with Sotheby's Sticker
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Guere wood mask with paint and fiber remnant from We people displayed on a metal stand. The We people (also known as the Krahn or Guere) are an indigenous African people that inhabit areas in nowadays eastern Liberia and western Côte d'Ivoire. Their material culture shares many aspects with the neighboring Dan tribe. Like the Dans, the We use a wide variety of masquerades, which hold important regulatory position within their small, egalitarian communities. Masks are owned by families and used by individual lineage members in contexts of social control, ritual ceremony and entertainment. This type of Guere mask, however, has a distinct fearsome character. The ferocious design with jagged facial expression, bulging tubular eyes are intended for use in mediations between community members, as visual aids during moral lessons, as well as forms of entertainment. By portraying the more frightening nature of the animal, the mask is viewed as powerful and may have been used as part of social control methods prior to the introduction of Western law systems during the colonial period.
The mask on offer, based on our examination, appears to be an original one that was used natively instead of reproduction made for the tourist market. The surface presents apparently genuine patina consistent with use. The red paint that highlights the eyes and gapping mouth also appear original. There are small losses flanking the nose ridge by the eyes, extensive surface accretion, remain of some fiber tassels. The back of the mask reveals chisel marks from hand tools and importantly, stain marks that were likely from repetitive contacts from the nose of the wearer.
The mask is 9" in height, and it retains an old Sotheby’s catalog...
Category
20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
67.05 Carat Gorgeous Tri Color Tourmaline Drilled Carving from Africa
By Deloris "Dee" Giltz 1
Located in Peshawar, PK
67.05 carat gorgeous tri-color tourmaline drilled carving from Africa
Weight: 67.05 Carats
Dimension: 3.5 x 2.4 x 0.8 Cm
Origin: Africa
Color: Red Pink and Green
Shape: Carving
Quali...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Adam Style Antique Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Crystal
1930's Beaded Snuff Container. Zulu, Southern Africa
Located in London, GB
This intimately-sized 1930's Zulu snuff container has been beautifully decorated with glass beads. A circular opening features on one side, and on the other side, overlapping blue-an...
Category
1930s Tribal Vintage Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Beads
Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched board. This kerchief was not woven on a loom, but ra...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Raffia
Bamileke Storage Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Like other African everyday ceramics, Bamileke storage pots are revered for their simple forms yet astonishing beauty. Each is hand shaped and fired in the open. They are generally s...
Category
Early 20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Ceramic
Yoruba Osanyin Staff, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Steel, Iron
A colourful Yoruba beaded crown
Located in Amsterdam, NL
Yoruba People, Nigeria, 20th century
Provenance:
- Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s or 1990s)
Category
20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Beads
Mounted Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched board that floats off the wall in the shape of the k...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Raffia
Standing Female Pende Wood Figure with Arms at Sides Cascading Hair Congo
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Rare carved wood standing female Pende figure with arms at sides cascading hair. Classic downturned Pende style face, feet absent.
Democratic Republic of Congo, early to mid-20th...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Organic Material, Wood
Old And Exceptional Anthropomorphic Statue Yombe Woyo Kongo Tribe Dr Congo 19th
Located in Leuven, BE
Old and exceptional funerary anthropomorphic statue from the Yombe / Kongo tribe DR Congo
Tribe : Yombe / Woyo / Kongo
Country of origin : DR Congo / Angola
Period: late 19th century...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Set of 3 Neckrests from East Africa
Located in Leuven , BE
Men in East Africa use headrests both as pillows and as indicators of status. This type of man's headrest is used by the Boni of northeast Kenya and southe...
Category
20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Organic Material, Wood
Fine Konso Ancestral Figure, Ethiopia
Located in London, GB
This large figure, with a beautifully eroded surface, is a memorialisation in wood of a male Konso ancestor. Ancestral figures such as this (named 'waaka' or 'waaga') memorialise 'xh...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Koulango Female Ancestral Statue, Ivory Coast, Early 20th Century
Located in CA, CA
The hard wood of this female Koulango statue, from the Ivory Coast in the early 20th century, has developed a beautiful black patina. With hands resting on the abdomen, and the neck ...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Tchokwé mask from Angola in wood and pigments - Circa 1900
Located in NICE, FR
Tchokwé mask from Angola once owned by the American Abstract Expressionist artist Merton D. Simpson (1928 - 2013) renowned both for his work and as a dealer and collector of early Af...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Kaolin, Wood
Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida (Ivory Coast) hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched frame. This kerchief was not woven on ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Raffia
Yoruba Omo Bell, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This four-sided brass face bell, known as omo, was created by an artisan of the Ijebu Yoruba People of Southern Nigeria. A mark of the wearer's rank and power, the bell would have be...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Metal
Vintage Korhogo Handwoven Mud Cloth Textile Ivory Coast Africa Folk Art
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Korhogo handspun, handwoven and hand-painted cotton mud cloth by the women of the Korhoga Village who spin the cotton, while the men weave and sew the cloth...
Category
Mid-20th Century Folk Art Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Korhogo Cloth
Early 20th Century Fine Cast White Metal Bracelet Classic Sculpture Form
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Late 19th to early 20th century cast mixed white and brass metal bracelet from the East Africa, possibly connected to the Arab states. Beautiful cast geometric design around outside ...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Bronze
African Kuba Cup Bryce Holcomb Pace Primitive Provenance
By Kuba
Located in Sharon, CT
A Kuba Head as a cup. Rich dark patina. Mount included. From The Late Bryce Holcombe Collection. Bryce was the founding director of Pace Primitive, and a personal friend.
Category
Late 19th Century Tribal Antique Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Yoruba Osanyin Healing Staff, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Iron
Senufo helmet mask of the kponyugu type Senufo Senoufo Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire
Located in Leuven, BE
Senufo helmet mask of the kponyugu type / Early 20th century
Tribe : Senufo / Senoufo
Country : Ivory Coast / Côte d'Ivoire
Type mask : wanyugu / kponyugu / wabele
Length mask : ...
Category
Early 20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Hardwood
Ndop Kuba Statue From The Kuba Ndengese Shoowa Tribe Dr Congo Kasaï African Art
Located in Leuven, BE
Exceptional royal Ndop statue From the Kuba / Ndengese / Shoowa tribe - DR Congo Kasaï region - Circa 1940-1950
Length = 56 cm
Perfect condition
Note : Image of individual kings
Alt...
Category
Mid-20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Hardwood
Naive Ethiopian Painting, Traffic in Addis Ababa, 1970s
Located in Budapest, HU
Naive Ethiopian painting, Traffic in Addis Ababa, 1970s.
with Ge'ez language inscriptions.
Category
1970s Folk Art Vintage Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Canvas
Terracotta Sculptures Massai Woman & Massai Warrior by H. Dullo 'Kenya' Tribal
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
H. DULLO (KENYA),
20th century.
A pair of terracotta sculptures
Massai Woman and Massai Warrior.
Both signed and dated “Dullo H. Eak 79”
Modelled i...
Category
1970s Tribal Vintage Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Terracotta
Carved Polychrome Baga Bansonyi Snake Sculpture Headdress, Guinea 20th Century
Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
This is a Baga protective serpent, known in the literature under various names: Bansonyi, A-mantsho-na-tshol or Inap. In spite of of its aged look this particular carving is made for...
Category
Late 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood, Paint
Warrior ax, adze from the Fang tribe, Gabon, 19th century
Located in Bilzen, BE
An warior axe from the Fang tribe (Gabon) with a rich aged using patina from the 19th century
Totally uncleaned blade
Length wooden handle 49 cm, iron blade 15.5 x 10.5 cm
Tribal pat...
Category
19th Century Tribal Antique Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wrought Iron
Beaded Ndebele Fertility 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 is a fertility doll...
Category
20th Century Folk Art Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Cotton, Wood
Green Verdite Shona Sculpture (28.5 lbs)
Located in New York, NY
Genuine Large Green Verdite Shona-style Sculpture of a mother and child. Shona artists are masters of the bust sculpture. This large piece is typical of the Sub-Saharan Shona style. ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Other
Set of 2 Kusu (Tribal) currency from Democratic Republic of the Congo
Located in Winnetka, IL
Three Kuso Currency pieces known as Boloko are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are made from forged iron and were used as currency in commerce. Today, they are sculp...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Iron
West African Tribal Senufo Daybed, 21st century
Located in Munich, DE
Beautiful antique African daybed. Hand-carved daybed from West Africa (Ivory Coast or Mali). The Senufo bed belongs to some of the most elegant examples of African design. Carved fro...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Powerful Makonde Portrait Helmet Mask Lip Plug Tanzania Early 20th Century
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Powerful portrait of a Makonde man with a traditional lip plug in his upper lip, high carved cheek bones in the form of a finely carved helmet mask, with attached hair on top from Ta...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Akan Ceremonial Brass Bronze Plate With Mudfish and Adinkra Symbols Ghana Africa
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Finely worked Akan ceremonial brass plate with hammered designs of a mudfish in center and Adinkra symbols in rim. With wear, some holes in bottom.
Field collected in Ghana in 2002....
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Brass
Genuine carved wooden spoon from the Kulango people, Cote d'Ivoire, early 20th C
Located in Bilzen, BE
A genuine wooden spoon from the Kulango people Cote d'Ivoire, from the early 20th century
These spoons are also get used as a pestle
These spoons are also said to originate with the ...
Category
Early 20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
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 Primitive Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Yoruba Osanyin Healing Staff, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...
Category
Early 20th Century Minimalist Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Iron
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 Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Navy Framed Mud Cloth or Kuba Cloth in Floating Acrylic Frame Gold Standoffs
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Navy blue Kuba cloth or Mud cloth framed in acrylic with gold standoffs. Beautiful dark navy blue mud-cloth sandwiched between two pieces of custom acrylic. Four holes on the four co...
Category
1950s Tribal Vintage Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Cotton, Acrylic, Lucite
Swazi Headrest With Old Label Attached, Southern Africa
Located in London, GB
The form of this Swazi headrest consists of an upper section supported by two tapering legs, fluted with vertical grooves.
A central lug features on the underside of the headrest, ...
Category
20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan 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 Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Ethno Design Selection of 7 Cache-Sexe Made of Palm Leaf, Mangbetu People, DRC
Located in Leuven , BE
Back aprons (negbe, pl. egbe) such as these were particularly popular among upper-class Mangbetu women at the turn of the 20th century. This distinctive kidney-shaped ornament pad wa...
Category
1930s Vintage Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Organic Material
Impressive Baule Statue Ivory Coast Type Blolo Bla - Burkina Faso - Early 20th
Located in Leuven, BE
Impressive Baule Statue Ivory Coast Type Blolo Bla - Burkina Faso
Tribe : Baule
Country : Ivory Coast
Length: 33 cm
Early 20th Century
Perfect condition
Beautiful patina of use / red...
Category
Early 20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Wood
Oromo Igbo African Gourd
Located in Winnetka, IL
This African piece was made by the oromo igbo people of ethiopia
It is a gourd with weaved fiber and metal covering it with intricate design and patterns
It has a lid with it which is usually not found
It definately has age but not sure of its exact year
This vessel is a lovely african artifact...
Category
Early 20th Century Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Metallic Thread
Single Ethnic Isicholo Bridal Red-Ocher Hat from South Africa, Zulu People
Located in Atlanta, GA
One Isicholo African Hats. This red-ochre dyed women's hat is from the Zulu people, South Africa, and is made of a combination of cotton, human hair over a...
Category
20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Cotton, Grasscloth
Senufo Locking Currency Bracelet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Time honored texture and form define this Senufo sculptural object. The abstract etchings were achieved through a process known as scarification. The artisan meticulously traced and ...
Category
Mid-19th Century Antique Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Copper
19th Century Igbo Spiral Copper Alloy Arm Adornment/Currency, Nigeria
Located in London, GB
Cast into a beautiful coiled form, this copper alloy Igbo woman's arm adornment from Nigeria was also used as a form of currency. This 19th century piece has developed a lovely green...
Category
19th Century Tribal Antique Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Copper
Fine Traditional Doll. Nyamwezi, Tanzania
Located in London, GB
The body consisting of a gourd in a beautiful form and decorated with a simple contrasting band of old glass beads of white, red and blue.
A piece with a wonderful form that was tra...
Category
Mid-20th Century Tribal Sub-Saharan African Folk Art
Materials
Beads
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