Sculptures and Carvings

Sepik Turtle stool Head Rest Oceanic Polynesian Australian A cute small stool or Headrest carved in the form of a turtle from the Sepik region of Papua new Guinea A beautiful objec...

A well preserved Yam Ancestor mask professionally presented on a museum quality acrylic display stand. The mask was a classic tribal art piece from Abela...

Antique Ethnic Artifact Sepik River Cassowary Bone from Papua New Guinea For many groups in Papua New Guinea, bone was an important medium for making tools of all types. This artifact is made from leg bone of a cassowary, a large, flightless, and extremely dangerous, bird. Cassowaries also play an important role in the mythology of groups in the Sepik River area. Though no longer used these bone artifacts are still used ceremonially. They often play important roles in male initiation and other rituals. They are also worn as personal adornment by tucking them into a band of braided fibers worn around the upper arm. Antique Ethnic Bone Cassowary Artifact with minimal carving and incised design confined to the joint end. A small hole has been drilled through from both sides of the top and presumably for the threading of a cord. The bone has been partially divided near the top and to form two prongs that project down the back of the dagger possibly allowing the user to wear is tuck into a waist band or belt. Origin Papua New Guinea Maprik Dist Area From the Art Collection of Marian and John Scott, acquired in 1962. Similar items are in display in the Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology. Purchased from the amazing private collection of Mark Lissauer who spent his life collecting niche ethnographic pieces. About Mark Lissauer: Mark Lissauer spent forty years travelling abroad for months at a time collecting ethnographic artefacts primarily from New Guinea and the islands of the West Pacific, and from Asia and Himalayan countries. Fluent in five languages and having in the course of business travelled to more than forty countries, Mark is well-known to museums and art-collectors around the world for his long career and his interesting and diverse collection of rare ethnographic material. Mark knows the origin and symbolism of each piece. Through extensive research and more than ninety trips around the globe, Mark familiarised himself with the traditions of the various cultures he visited in order to understand the meaning of each object to its region and tribe. His home has a specialist library and several rooms are filled with tribal carvings, textiles and ethnographica. He acquired his first tribal piece in 1948 during a business trip to Milne Bay, New Guinea, and has since documented the acquisition of some 35,000 items. Several thousands of these have been sold to important private collections and museums worldwide, including the Rockefeller Museum, the British Museum and the Musée National des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, now incorporated into the Louvre Museum. Estimator certificate of authenticity by Wayne Heathcote Tribal Art Dealer and Expert. Heathcote has a flash gallery in Brussels, where much of the tribal art business is centred, and is an expert at Sotheby's tribal art sale...

Ornately decorated rim, with abstract carving on bottom. Beautiful rich patina.

This rare antique Kukukuku (pronounced "cookah-cookah") war club is from the remote Morobe Province located within the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The head is carved from...

Wood Carved Stirrup Vessel, or Pipe, Massim people, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea. Hand-carved wood in the form of a large animal with a top ci...

Ornately decorated rim, with abstract carvings on bottom. Beautiful rich patina.

With a beautiful dark patina, this early 20th century wooden mask shows a naturalistic human face, flattened, with the forehead, open mouth and stylised teeth in light relief; the ri...

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...

An iron figurine made in Africa around the 20th century. In many countries in Africa, iron objects are used for objects, coins, tools, and rituals. Dogo...

Large Exquisitely crafted Oceanic Presentation Axe Papua New Guinea  Eastern Highlands  Wahgi Valley  Mount Hagen region. Mount Hagen ceremonial axe, woven rattan, bicoloured in geometric patterns; the wooden handle attached at an angle with a slate blade This is a ceremonial axe, a type of axe used mainly as store of wealth and at important rituals. such special axes are the unit of exchange for the bride dowry price . A beautiful object...

A pair of Papua New Guinea wooden shields on custom stands from the mid 20th century. These oceanic war shields were not only created for protecting oneself for tribal warfare, but also in ancestral and ritual worship. They are adorn in various motifs, coloring and symbolism, intended to protect the carrier from magic and bring fear to the opponent. The shorter shield is from the Mendi area within the Southern Highlands. The taller shield originates from the Melpa tribe of the Western Highlands (Mount Hagen and Wahgi Valley), an area which was not discovered by the outside world until three Australian gold prospectors entered the region during their explorations in 1934. These shields are displayed upright on a custom black iron stand, with the tallest of the set standing at a height of over 5.5 ft tall. This pair of Papua New Guinea shields...