African Tribal Art

Authentic tribal piece, early 20th century.

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 for great display...

Vintage Andrianna Shamaris Senufo Style African tribal art very unique wood stool, bench, side table or headrest from a single block of wood with stunning wood grain and patina. Stur...

A fantastically hand-crafted piece by the Kota (or Bakota) tribe who are located in the northeastern region of Gabon. This figure, which is a Mahongwe reliquary figure as exhibited with its truncated almond-shaped face, is made of wound copper, hammered brass and wood. Reliquary figures were used as guardians to protect the revered bones of venerated family ancestors and leaders and ward off unwanted spirits. These figures are meant to embody intense powers and were also commonly used in communal rites and ritual performances. This particular piece came from an American collector who traveled the African continent and collected African artifacts for over 50 years. This piece has a beautiful, organically aged patina acquired naturally over time and use. It is mounted on a custom wooden display stand. We believe it dates back to the early to mid-1900s but could be older. We are listing as 20th century because we did not have it appraised. This African Tribal Statue Osseyba or Reliquary Figure Kota (Bakota) Mohongwe Peoples decorative art would clearly stand out as part of a collection or by itself in any setting. Truly unique, eye-catching and engaging. Dimensions on stand: 25 3/4" High, 7" Wide, 5 1/2" Deep Kota Reliquary...

Ethiopian Procession Cross: A Sacred Heritage and Craftsmanship. Structure and Composition: This finely crafted Ethiopian procession cross is rich in iconographic detail. Constructed from metal, likely bronze or brass, it features a complex structure with several decorative elements. - Central Part: • Madonna and Child: At the heart of the cross is a depiction of the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus. This central image is framed within a circle adorned with openwork motifs and small inlays that appear to be precious stones or colored glass pieces. Arms of the Cross: • Angelic Musicians: Each lateral arm of the cross features an angelic musician, playing instruments and depicted in a flying position. The angels are finely detailed, with spread wings and carefully sculpted garments. • Cherub: At the apex of the cross, a cherub is depicted, a celestial being with multiple wings and surrounded by cloud-like motifs. • Bird Motifs: The lower extremities of the cross are adorned with bird motifs, likely doves, symbolizing peace and the Holy Spirit, placed within openwork circles. Base and Handle: • Engraved Base: The base of the cross, which serves as a handle, is also richly engraved with floral and geometric motifs, providing a sturdy and decorative grip for processions. History of Ethiopian Procession Crosses Origins and Evolution: Ethiopian procession crosses have a long history, dating back to the introduction of Christianity to Ethiopia in the 4th century under King Ezana. Influenced by Coptic and Byzantine traditions, these crosses evolved to adopt a distinctive style unique to Ethiopia. - Characteristics: • Style and Iconography: Ethiopian crosses...

A finely carved significant Yoruba Male Ibeji figure with a tall headdress, expressive eyes, original bead belt and heavy wear and polish from native use. Areas of encrusted camwood ...

Intriguing cast bronze relief plaque from Benin, showing three guardians. The plaque was modeled after ancient Benin bronzes but was made in the 20th century. The plaque is cast in b...

Late 19th-early 20th century iron currency, kurr, Sara-Madjingaye peoples, Southern Chad. These rare currencies have a wonderfully minimalist anthropomorphic form, but were inspired...

An early and rare weft faced Ewe cloth woven in strops of brightly coloured red, blue, yellow cream, lime green and ivory. A great example, large size. Con...

A Benin bronze of an Oba. Oba means ruler in the Yoruba language. Wearing a lattice-pattern cap with strands of beads suspended around the head. The neck is bound with a lattice-patt...

Purchased from the estate of Max Granick. Granick had a frame shop on 56st and in addition to being one of the great framers of midcentury NY was a partner with John Graham offering ...

This is the piece that makes for a great conversation and adds depth to many interiors. Authentic zebra skin table in very good condition and ready for any room; 34" diameter - makes...

The African Kuba Bwoom tribal mask is the oldest known mask, the Kuba bwoom mask. The materials used for the realization of the Mask are: Wood, colors and vibrates plants, caures, beads, animal hair. In dance it expresses exuberance and joy. The style is similar to that of the middle Kasai. This mask is a helmet with animal hair, carved with a very wide forehead and hollow cheeks that are announced by motifs or dashes and beads. The mouth of the mask is very pronounced carved in wood and then applied on the mask. To distinguish the forehead in different areas are used black and white beads to draw attention to other aspects of the face such as the nose and chin. The entire edge of the chin is surrounded by beads of various colors. The person wearing the mask cannot look because there are no holes for the eyes present; the mask must create the feeling of being blind. Some masks similar to the bwoom mask include the funny mask, the ram mask and initiation masks such as Nnup. The real Kuba masks...

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...

In 'Congo Masks, Masterpieces from Central Africa' editor Marc Leo Felix, a photograph on page 146 depicts a group of Salampasu Masks being collected in...

Small sweet early Kuba Cup with refinedf face, finely carved hair, with a handle, from the DRC, Africa Finely incised hair in tight geometric form, small proj...

Hand-carved Opon Igede Ifa or divination bowl, Yoruba People, Nigeria, early 20th Century. A Babalawo ("diviner") of the West African Yoruba people uses an Opon Igede Ifa to store th...

This is a pair of vintage African spear currencies from the Mbole peoples, Democratic Republic of Congo which are nicely presented upon custom m...

Zulu Tribal carved wood Snuff Container, South Africa A finely carved snuff container with finely carved incised great geometric designs, a great example of the detailed work the Zu...

A wonderful small early 20th century Ashanti tribal stool, headrest. Carved from a single piece of wood. Well worn and genuine tribal stool or headrest.

Poto African sword, Congo Africa on stand. A forged iron sword with fine incised design, inlaid brass dots, overlaid brass strips, finely carved wood ha...

This stool, from the Gurage culture of Ethiopia, has been carved from a single piece of heavy, dense wood. The stool exhibits a flat, low form and over time, has developed a lovely d...

Ancient wooden stool with four feet dating to the 19th century. From Congo, Africa. Provenance: Galerie Démons et Merveilles, Paris; Private Collection, United Kingdom.

Vintage African Tuareg teapot Mauritania Mid-20th century Tuareg teapot from Mauritania, Africa, Western Sahara. Handcrafted of pewter, copper and brass ...

Insika (Screen or Wall Panel) Rwanda-Burundi, Tutsi people Circa 1900 or earlier Natural fibers and dyes H 23 ins (58.5 cm) W 16 ins (40.5 cm) Depth 3 1/2 ins (9 cm) This superb ...

Baule antelope-human wood old weaving heddle loom pulley. From Ivory Coast, Africa It is in good condition with wear, polish and erosion from traditional use, appropriate for its ag...

Baule Standing Female Figure with finely carved raised scarifications, hands on side of stomach with long figures. From Ivory Coast, Africa It is in good condition with wear, polis...

A South African two handled carved wood meat tray Zulu, 20th century Measures: Approximate 3 1/4" in. high x 10 1/2" in. long x 8 1/2" in. wide (8.2 x...

Large carved wooden spoon in the shape of a standing female figure, with a round bowl over her head, Yoruba People, circa 1960s. The numbers are the inventory numbers from Penn Stat...

Six Knobkerries from South Africa A group of six knobkerries from South Africa, mounted together on a wooden base. These were originally used as weapons during battle but have evolv...

Carved wood standing female figure with projecting stomach, attached horn on top of head, and hair in form of small hand shaped copper pieces. Old glass beads...

Early Yoruba offering bowl in the from of a male figure with a beard riding on horse back surrounded by four small attendants, finely carved with nice patina from native use. Probabl...

African Tribal Art parchment wall shade sconce featuring a large triangle hide form stitched on iron and hand painted surface. These Moroccan Art pieces could be used as wall lamp s...

Throwing Knife (Ngalio) Sara People, Chad, Africa Mid-20th century Material: Iron Height on custom display stand: 28 in. / 71 cm Known as "ngalio", thi...

A fine old Baule carving, with a rich golden brown surface patina.

Akan Ashanti cast bronze figurine. The Ashanti or Asante People from Ghana have a rich tradition of crafting bronze pieces to commemorate important figures from their culture or peop...

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...

‍Traditionally worn by men of the Dorze culture in Southern Ethiopia, these tightly-woven hats each feature an idiosyncratic, characterful appearance formed through a combination of ...

African Tribal Art wall shade metal sconce shade. These Moroccan Art pieces could be used as wall lamp shade or just art work. Iron frame with tribal...

Extra Large Curved Hoe currency Angas, Nigeria Early 20th century Iron Measures: 29.5 x 20.5 in. / 75 x 52 cm Height on custom display stand: 33.25 in. / 84 cm Weight: 20.6 pounds / 9.34 kg Combined weight with base: 43.8 pounds / 19.9 kg The large currency forms are comprised of a heavy sheet of iron forged into the shape of a curved hoe. They were customary gifts for a bride’s father as well as having a function during wedding celebrations (Ballarini, The Perfect Form...

A statue from the Baoule/Baule tribe, Ivory Coast carved in hardwood in the early colonial style Early 1900 Tribal aged patina Heigth 36 cm

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...

This is an old African coin. Before paper money and money were in circulation, bartering was taking place in Africa. Various goods such as textiles, fea...

The form of this early twentieth-century Pokot stool from Kenya exhibits a beautiful sculptural quality, in which three curved, flared and flattened legs support the flat circular se...

Old Buyu male ancestral protection power figure showing good signs of genuine age w/ beautiful old color patina. Democratic Republic Congo, Africa. Mid 20th. Measures 32" h x 10" w x...

Benin brass Armlets or Anklets A pair of heavy Brass armlets with three rows of cowrie shells, Certainly a well worn pair one slightly twisted. They have been cleaned at some point. Rare pieces. Benin 19th century and earlier. For similar pair see re thinking pit Pitt Rivers pit rivers museum online collection Oxford UK.

Tribal xylophone is an original design item realized in the early 20th Century. A rare xylophone entirely realized in wood. Working. A unique decorative object and at the same ...

Fine Kuba wood cup with incised designs similar to the famous Kuba textiles, early 20th century, from Central Africa. The woven cris cross designs that are typical of the Kuba currency...

African tribal Art Antiques Female Ibeji figure Yoruba Nigeria A Finely carved  Ibeji Figure from early 20th century, with delineated teeth and l...

A late 19th or early 20th century Kuba Prestige cloth, mostly embroidered with cut pile borders.

Congolese Textile Tetela DR Congo 19th century Measures: 68 x 41 inches (172 x 104 cm) Provenance: Ambre-Congo gallery, Brussels $5,000. A very rare ...

An exceptional Voodoo Objet fro Africa, Uganda ,Buganda Kingdom, the object is decorated with Shells, Beads, Fiber,seeds and iron, a Royal fetish used by higher Royalty, ex-collecti...

An early 20th-century ceremonial chief's coat from Africa represents a magnificent display of cultural heritage and craftsmanship. These coats hold deep significance, symbolizing pow...

Sometimes referred to as dolls, this is a highly abstract figure with conical head, arms and legs held out from body, long columnar neck wrapped with mulitple strands of different si...

This exceptional Kota reliquary comes from the Mahogwe tribe, which lives along the Ogooué River in Gabon. The Mahogwe are part of the Kota ethnic group located in the northeastern r...

This mask dates from the late 19th to early 20th Century. Bamileke elephant masks, worn by the Kuosi society in Cameroon were elaborate beaded masks signifying wealth and power. The ...

The Borana Oromo people of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya are historically a cattle-keeping culture, and each household keeps a number of traditional vessels for storing and ch...

A Serene Vuvi Mask Wood, polychrome, pigment Gabon Early 20th Century Size: 28cm high - 11 ins high Provenance: Ex collection Bertil and Eva Berg, Gothenburg, Sweden Ex Privat...