Tribal Art

Antique Persian Afshar Bagface Bag, c. 1900 This highly graphic Afshar bag face draws a large central indigo-blue hexagon against a complimentary contrasting terra cotta field. Both...

Red Afshar Sumak Salt Bag, Late 19th Century A central white diamond is highlighted in white cotton on this Afshar salt bag. Throughout the field, geometric scarab-like elements ar...

A Finely Carved ‘Boni’ Neck-Rest Superb dark colour and patination through extended use Wood Somalia 19th Century SIZE: 18.5cm high, 15.5cm wide - 7¼ ins high, 6 ins wide These hea...

A Rare Spirit Mask ‘Barak’ or ‘Yamburai Parak’ Wood, remains of polychrome Eastern Sepik Province, New Guinea Late 19th - early 20th Century SIZE: 45cm high, 35cm deep - 17¾ ins hig...

A Songye Male ‘Power’ Figure Open aperture to the head and stomach Fine overall patina, loss to feet Democratic Republic of Congo 19th Century Size: 23cm high - 9 ins high The ...

An Exceptional Eastern Cape Nguni Pipe Bowl and Stem Wood, metal Old inscription and dated: ‘1892’ South Africa 19th Century Size: 45.5cm long - 18 ins long Published: ‘The ...

A Rare and Extremely Fine South African Tsonga Prestige Staff by the ‘Baboon Master’ Depicting a Zulu elder wearing a head-ring Superb silky reddish brown patina Late 19th Century ...

A Rare Wood Ear Ornament With old collectors label ‘Ear Wood. Paraquay’ Wood Paraguay 19th Century Size: 6cm dia., 3.5cm deep - 2¼ ins dia., 1¼ ins deep Published: Steven Phe...

A South Eastern Congo, Zaire Songye Protective Fetish Figure ‘Nkishi’ of Geometric Form the arms placed to the side A plug of fetish material in the head cavity a strip of old hide a...

An exceptional set of twenty-one stone arrowheads, discovered in Wisconsin's Waukesha County and framed within a 19th-century faux grain painted shadowbox, these arrowheads not only ...

A Fine and Rare Shona Knife and Sheath Wood, steel, copper Fine colour and patina Zimabawe / Africa 19th Century Size: 48cm long - 19 ins long (with scabbard) 42.5cm l...

An Exceptional New Zealand Māori Bugle-Flute ‘Pu Turino’ With soft and shallow surface decoration profusely carved with a dynamic scrolling motif made of two sections bound together ...

A Rare Double Roll of Pacific Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz, Red Feather Currency ‘Tevau’ Plant fibre, bark strips, red bird feathers, small shells, glass beads Solomon Islands ...

An Unusual Polynesian ‘Child’s’ Fighting Club Old patina and mellow colour Wood Fiji 19th Century SIZE: 84.5cm long - 33¼ ins longù Provenance: Ex Welsh collection, sold at au...

An Unusual ‘Kanak’ Hardwood War Club Fine dark glossy patina from use, a lighter band where a now lost ‘binding’ would have acted also as a ‘wrist thong’ Wood New Caledonian, Kanak E...

This wooden statue from Siraha Salawa, a noble Nias ancestor figure from Indonesia, is a striking example of Nias artistry and cultural heritage. Carved from a single piece of wood, ...

Female Ubangian statue in carved wood represented standing, the body of anthropomorphic type and zoomorphic head. Late 19th Century. Good patina. Past estorations. Provenance : Pri...

Marroquin forged steel dagger with sheath. Beautiful koummya dagger with a sheath from the region of Morocco, circa 1870. The blade was created with forged steel, mounted in wood an...

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A mask from West Nepal with a sharp straight nose, squinting eyes and a square mouth showing upper and lower teeth. There are re...

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A mask from West Nepal with slanted almond shaped eyes, very small ears and an oval mouth showing carved upper and lower teeth o...

Ancient Indus Valley cup bearer Fertility figurine Circa (2800-2600 BC). A rare female pottery cup bearer figurine in terracotta with pointed facial features and applied diamond sha...

A fine a rare Japanese box masterly woven in copper, the box with lid and handles dates to 19th century Meiji Period, and it imitates the Ikebana bamboo basketry style Height 17...

A Rare Large Antique Jambiya Dagger with highly ornate silver work with added gold gilding A superb example of a middle eastern Jambiya Height 3...

A Pre Columbian Jadeite Axe God pendant from the Guanacaste/Nicoya region of Costa Rica Circa. 800 to 1200 AD. The axe god pendant of highly stylized Human form drilled through the ...

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A large mask from West Nepal with a small grin and bared teeth surrounded with pink powder, faint traces of which can also be se...

Late 19th-early 20th century Tribal mask, West Nepal A mask from West Nepal with a rather heart shaped facial plane. There are three large iron staples, two of which may have secure...

Objects crafted from the shell of the giant Tridacna clam, also known as the fossilized giant clam, held great value among numerous Melanesian peoples. The artistry of working with f...

A Nomoli is a carved stone figurine native to Sierra Leone and Liberia. They are usually made of soapstone, limestone, or granite. The carving depicts a man holding his belly with a...

19th-century bronze currency bangle / Manilla with a fixed opening. Minimalist, simple design work with engraved geometrical circles and lines. This type of bracelet was used and wor...

A Nomoli is a carved stone figurine native to Sierra Leone and Liberia. They are usually made of soapstone, limestone, or granite. The carving depicts a woman in a dress and choker,...

Manillas are horse-shoe shaped, made of an open circle of bronze, brass, or copper with enlarged finial terminations. They were used as a currency in West African countries from the ...

Yoruba people have one of the highest incidents of twin births in the world. As a result, twin children are regarded as extraordinary, divine beings protected by Sango, the deity of ...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirled rope work design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with geome...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical design with lines and accent points on the top and at both tips. This type o...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical design with a lattice pattern. This type of bracelet was worn or used by the...

A hand modelled statue of a male coca chewer figure , known as a Coquero, wearing a sash sitting upon a bench,  the coca quid in his right cheek, with black negative resist design Pr...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirl design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with cross pattern des...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirl design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with 5 beads on each s...

Pre Columbian Colima Dog Ancient West Mexico Pre-Columbian, West Mexico, Colima Ancient Mexico C 200 BC –400 AD A attractive seated Colima dog v...

Maya Poly-chrome painted pottery bowl Guatemala/ central America late Classic period, circa A.D. 550-950, A  bowl of rounded  bottom circular form,  painted with a frieze of  monkey...

Early to mid-19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in circle form. Intricate graphical geometrical. This type of bracelet was worn/used by the Zaghawa People also called Bé...

Early to mid-19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in circle form. Intricate graphical geometrical. This type of bracelet was worn/used by the Zaghawa People also called Bé...

Museum quality Southern Arapaho (Hinono’ei) Native American Plains Indian leggings circa 1880s. Constructed of dyed native tanned hide with viridian green dye and ochre yellow embel...

A fine Zulu head rest neck rest South Africa Raised on central pillars with geometric lozenge shaped carving all over. Measures: 22 x 14 x 5 cm approx. Period Early 20th century Ex U...

Ancient nomadic belts, covered with embroidery and ancient coins. Purchased by a young oriental man in a European market. they can also be used as blinds for curtains. nr. 1 - cm. 5...

Wonderful object with arrow shaped blades. Beautiful decorative with complex and fascinating history; Iron currency tokens are among the most compelling and virtuosic of sub-Sahara...

A Very Rare Long Maori Paddle ‘Hoe’ Superb colour and patina Wood Maori / New Zealand Late 18th / early 19th Century Size: 217cm long - 85½ ins long Provenance: W.D. Webster, B...

Large Pre Columbian  INCA / Early Colonial period  Wood Kero    A superb Large Inca Kero cup profusely carved in the mosaic style with a image of the Inca or...

Ancient Fiji Islands Flat Serving Bowl or Platter 19th century, made of very dense hardwood with deep patina, and expected wear on bottom. Two small opposing holes for suspension. B...

Amazing and scarce JUDAICA object, we have here one of the most touching jewish objects we had for a long time, this small silver dowry box was made in Algeria in the early 19th century, it is all covered with symbols of jewish faith and of couples, the sliding lid has 2 flanking birds with hamsa (protective hand) on each side and a flower vase in the middle. one side shows two flanking lions with a tree in the middle and the other side shows again two big and two small birds with a flower bowl in the middle, front side has a key hole and next to it there is the Hebrew inscription ס״ט״" which says Siman tov or in English "a good sign" it is taken from the wedding blessing, underneath the lock there is another inscription with the name ״עזיזה בת אברהם בן חמו״ which is the name of the bride, her father and her grandfathers name. the box is full marked a lot of times with the silversmith mark, every side of the box is marked. this box was probably ordered by the grooms family to hold the jewelry they are giving to the bride as dowry, this type of objects are rare and there are just a few of them on museum collections. DOWRY (Heb. נְדֻנְיָה), the property a wife brings to her husband at marriage; the Yiddish equivalent, nadn, is from the same root. The custom of nedunyah became clearly defined and institutionalized only in the talmudic period. In biblical times, mohar (מֹהַר), whereby the groom bought his wife from her father (Gen. 24:53; Ex. 22:15–16; Hos. 3:2), was the accepted practice. It was then customary that the groom give the bride gifts, and that she bring certain property to her husband's home upon marriage: slaves, cattle, real estate, etc. (cf. Gen. 24:59–61; 29; Judg. 1:14ff.; I Kings 9:16). Evidence of the custom of nedunyah is to be found in Tobit (7:14; 8:21) and in the Assuan papyri (Cowley, Aramaic, nos. 15, 18). Gradually, mohar was superseded by the ketubbah custom according to which the husband merely assumed the responsibility of compensation to his wife in case he divorced her: he had to pay her 200 zuzim if she had been a virgin at the time of marriage, and 100 zuzim if a widow or divorcée (see *Ketubbah). By talmudic times, the institution of nedunyah was prevalent; the father gave a dowry to the bride since the daughter was excluded from paternal inheritance. Fifty zuzim (equivalent to the worth of 180 grams of silver) was the minimum amount a father was obliged to give to his daughter (Ket. 6:5). Parents usually gave much more, according to their social standing. Community funds provided the dowry for an orphan or a very poor girl (ibid.; cf. Sh. Ar., YD 251:8). In case of her father's death, the brothers of a minor girl were obliged to give her the minimum dowry, and the court estimated how much her father would have given her above the minimum dowry. The sum was then taken out of the father's estate and given to the daughter upon majority (Ket. 6:6; 68a–69b). In the absence of such an estimate, each daughter was entitled to receive one-tenth of the value of her father's estate in money, or in valuables (Yad, Ishut, 20:4–7; Sh. Ar., EH 113:4). If the father was unable or unwilling to pay the promised dowry at the betrothal ceremony, the groom could refuse to marry his bride (Ket. 13:5; Ket. 108b–109a). Insistence on exact payment of the promised dowry, however, was frowned upon by later rabbinic authorities (Rema to Sh. Ar., EH 2:1). In certain communities it was customary for the groom's father to make a dowry contribution equal to that of the bride's father (Ket. 102b). The dowry, whether given in real estate, slaves, money, or chattel was recorded in the marriage contract (the ketubbah) and in some instances one-third or one-fifth of the actual value of the dowry was added to the sum mentioned in the ketubbah. Based upon a decree enacted by *Simeon b. Shetah (first century C.E.), the Talmud ruled that the husband and his entire property were liable for compensation as stipulated in the ketubbah, either in case he died (when she collected the sum specified in the ketubbah from the heirs) or in case he divorced his wife (Ket. 82b). For the status of the dowry and the husband's rights and obligations, see below. The rabbinic enactments (Takkanot Shum) by R. Jacob *Tam and by the rabbinic synod of the communities of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz (Germany) stipulated that if a woman died...

Indonesia, Nias, 19th century H. 37.5 x W. 10 cm Sculptures like the one present are not only decorative items but are believed to be vessels that house the spirits of ancestors and are used to communicate with them. After the death of a person a wooden image or Adu Zatua was made to mediate between the human world and the spiritual realm. These kinds of figures were commissioned by noble Nias families, whereas simple and lesser quality carvings generally were found among lower class families. In this particularly fine example, the sculptor has paid careful attention to the proportions of the different parts of the body, dividing it into three main sections – the head, the torso, and the legs. The shapes are sometimes flat, round, or have notches, but all are perfectly in balance creating a certain divine tranquillity. This Adua Zatua’s ears are decorated with earrings, and it is wearing a headdress, pointing towards a chiefly provenance. In 1914 the Dutch gained complete control of the island of Nias and started spreading Protestant Christianity. Many ancestor statues...

Moroccan Berber hand-carved wooden sugar hammer "Deggaga". Handcrafted by the Berber women of Morocco, hand-carved and hand painted wood with tribal desig...

19th Century Bronze Coin with Silver Bezel Earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with bronze coins from Morocco and Egypt set in silver bezels a...

Two carved bone tool Handles from the Pre-Inuit Thule Culture in all original condition. Probable wood working tools, the handles once held Stone or, more rarely, Iron blades. The la...

18th Century Bronze Palanquin Leopard Finials An intriguing pair of 18th-century Bronze Palanquin Leopard Finials, exquisite artifacts that represent the opulence and cultural herit...

Kazak rugs have primarily been produced as village productions rather than city pieces. Made from materials particular to individual tribal provinces and the rugs of the Caucasus typically display bold geometric designs in primary colours. Kazak rugs are a type of Armenian rug...

A Rare and Finely Carved Egyptian Wooden Headrest with a Carved Head to both Sides Representing the God ‘Bes’ (Protector of the Homestead) above Carved...

A Rare and Historically Important Artefact Recovered from HMS Adventure in 1775 after Captain James Cook’s Second Voyage to the Pacific A ‘coconut husker’ made by a ship’s carpenter aboard HMS Adventure in the style and design of a Native Islander’s ethnographical ‘coconut husker’ An engraved and inscribed copper plaque: A memento from The Sandwich Islands Coconut Husker used aboard HMS Adventure and recovered from The Royal Dockyard Deptford 1775 Oak, iron, brass, copper, handmade iron screws Fine rich colour and patina England / Sandwich Island 18th Century SIZE: 15.5cm high, 49.5cm long, 20cm wide (max) - 6¹⁄₈ ins high, 19½ ins long, 7⁷⁄₈ ins wide (max) Provenance: Found in a Scottish attic after centuries of lying hidden in a crate Ex Private Scottish collection Captain James Cook’s second voyage aboard the Resolution and accompanied by HMS Adventure set sail in July 1772. The discovery of the southern eight islands of the Sandwich Islands group was in 1775. The given name was chosen in honour of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty. The copper plaque and inscription however should not be read as The Sandwich Islands ‘Owhyhee’ (The Hawaiian Islands) which were later discovered on January 18th, 1778, on Captain Cook’s third voyage. Rather the inscription refers to ‘South Sandwich Islands’ lying to the south east of South Georgia and only renamed later with the word ‘South’ to distinguish them from the ‘Sandwich Islands’ now known as the Hawaiian Islands. Not withstanding during Cook’s second voyage he visited Easter Island, Tahiti, Society Islands, Niue, Tonga, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Norfolk Islands, Palmerston Island and South Georgia. The crew onboard having been exposed to various types of ‘coconut huskers’ adapted those designs into the example we now see, having been rescued from HMS Adventure in 1775. A rare example of 18th century cross...