Carved Tribal Art

Carved hard wood dance mask from China with powerful expression, open eyes. Traces of many layers of paint, including red, green, black and white pigments. Ex- private collection in...

Moroccan Berber cable hand-carved with tribal African designs. Rectangular wooden coffee table hand-carved wit tribal designs by skilled Moroccan artisans in Marrakech. Dark brown ...

Kuba Palm Wine Cup – DR Congo, Early to Mid 20th Century Height: 12 cm A finely hand-carved wooden palm wine cup from the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The vessel...

Geometric Barmbara Sukuru Animal Mask with horns, teeth, from Mali, West Africa. Inserted wood teeth, abstract face with open eyes, with raised eyebrows and framed face. Old native...

Carved from a single piece of soft, light wood, this refined Lega lukwakongo mask displays the minimalist elegance characteristic of Bwami society art. The oval face features a long ...

This fine Mende ‘Sowei’ mask was worn exclusively by women. The mask represents an ideal of feminine beauty admired by the Mende: elaborate hairstyles, full forehead, small facial fe...

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

This large early Ashanti stool consists of an attractive support featuring a double-sided bird motif. The surface of the stool exhibits a rich, dark patina. Extensive use over the ...

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...

For sale is this wonderful vintage African hand-carved Kifwebe association Figure (or "N'kishi"), originating from the Songye people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly the...

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

Democratic Republic of Congo, Late 19th Century Wood, glass bead (inlay) Provenance: Didier Claes – Danisc Collection (Ole Christiansen) A rare and elegant example of a Kuba palm wi...

A fine Ashanti maternity figure by the master carver Osei Bonsu. The mother figure is seated on a simple backless chair. An infant lays calmly in her la...

Possibly Babanki. Circular ceremonial wood stool constructed of repeated animal heads. Original applied patina.

Early standing Mumuye stylized figure with crested hair and open work details. Classic rounded cubist forms that the Mumuye sculptors are known for. Nort...

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...

Sweet worn, polished and smoothed Kuba ceremonial serving platter with handle and incised Classic royal Kuba knot pattern on one side. Cra...

These wooden sculptures are stringed instruments known as ligombo, a form of elongated trough zither attributed to the Nyamwezi people of Tanzania and greater East Africa. Originally...

Set of three vintage Zulu long carved wood pipes on custom metal stands, South Africa. Each on separate stand so can be arranged in multiple ways for great ...

An early to mid-20th century Toguna support post from the Dogon Tribe of Mali, on custom metal stand. This West African hand carved wooden bean was origin...

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...

Carved and painted wood with an openwork tiered bucket form back. The top tier with female figures, the bottom row with horsemen holding small-scale figures on top of the horses' heads. The shaped back with a dentated top border and two carved panels with birds. Panels with snakes frame...

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...

A hand-carved, hand-painted wooden tribal mask. Hand-carved and painted this decorative mask that would look great in a western or country themed ...

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...

Grouping of Ceremonial coffee stands Ethiopia Early 20th century Wood Largest: 8" high x 6" diameter (20 x 15 cm) Smallest: 6.75" x 3.50" ( 17 x 9 cm) These little known Branc...

Powerful early cubist carved wood standing female figure from the Bobo-Fing of Burkina Faso, Africa. Created early 20th century. Ex private collection Texas, originally acquired from James Willis...

Carved Helmut masks of this type were made by the Sande society of the Mende people of Sierra Leone, Africa for use in masquerades by young women in initi...

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...

Tutsi ceremonial dance shield. Rwanda-Burundi Second quarter, 20th century. Wood, natural pigment Provenance: Colonial period collection, Belgium...

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...

Very finely carved face mask, probably from the Northwest Coast of the US or Canada. Created mid 20th century or earlier, the artist is unfortunately unknown. Carved light wood, pr...

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...

This Helmet Crest mask is categorized as a “Babanki” style Ngoin mask from Northwestern provinces of Cameroon circa first half of 20th century. In part of highland area called “Camer...

A rare Museum quality Traditional Men’s Sword known as a Mandau. Used by the Dayak while on the Hunt and in former times in disputes regarding hunting rights and land boundaries. Thi...

Large wood antique American mortar and pestle. Early 19th c. Americana turned wood footed mortar and pestle. American, late 19th century wooden mortar and pestle...

Set of two Moroccan brass Berber tribal sugar hammer. Moroccan Collectible Brass Berber Sugar Hammer,Brass Berber Tribal Sugar Hammer. Authentic old Tuare...

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...

Old well weathered hardwood Kuna Indian abstract figure, Panama, Provenance, old CA state collection. Body abstracted down to two forms for shoulders and hips, with small fine head....

This mid-twentieth century finely carved mask, from the Lega culture in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displays the typically heart-shaped face of Lega 'Idimu' masks. Traces o...

This large animal sculpture is actually a traditional African slit drum, a percussive instrument commonly carved from a single block of wood. Comprised of a hollow resonance chamber ...

An extremely rare Papua wood sculpture of a Korwar Papua New Guinea, Cendrawasih Bay, Wandammen, early 19th century Measures: Height 24 x Diameter 18 cm Finely carved in th...

Tall Antique Flower basket Laos A superbly intricately crafted elegant bamboo flower basket with long handle from Laos South East Asia Period e...

This fine early twentieth-century headrest, from the Zulu culture in South Africa, was previously part of a selection of exceptional Southern African art in the Terence and Bernice P...

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...

The form of this finely carved early twentieth-century village stool, from the Hehe culture in Tanzania, consists of four short, upright legs supporting a dish-shaped seat. A small d...

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

This late nineteenth-century headrest, from the Oromo culture in Ethiopia, displays a rare form. Above a triangular-shaped base, the curved, crescent-shaped neck rest features four c...

A tall antique Thai freestanding ceremonial wooden drum from the early 20th century, with natural finish, carved accents and circular flaring base. Create...

This early twentieth-century miniature ladder, from the Dogon culture in Mali, replicates the form of full-size granary ladder, however, unlike its larger, practical counterparts, th...

This wooden headdress was created by the Yoruba People of western Nigeria, and was worn during a masquerade known as egungun. A widespread Yoruba ritual, egungun performances honor a...

A Finely Carved Polynesian Maori Feather ‘Treasure Box’ and Cover With superb colour and patina Wood, haliotis (abalone) shell New Zealand Early ...

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 splendid and rare Amazon indigenous wamara wood Macana war-club Southern-Guyana or Northern Brazil, Wapitxana group of the Aruak peoples, 18th century, possibly earlier Measure: H. 43 cm The deep patina of the club present, and the residue on the part where it was held, attest to its great age. This unusually large Macana is decorated with several incised whitened anthropomorphic and human figures, a decoration only found on one other documented club in the British Museum, which is illustrated in: Hjalmar Stolpe, Amazon Indian...

Oval skull face dance mask from Nepal with powerful expression, open eyes and oval mouth with finely carved teeth. Representing the Buddhist Citipati, the skull faced protector. Hea...

Ritual cup for divination and/or medicine the cup rests on 2 figures of stylized birds Beautiful dark patina, partly crisp and shiny The Yoruba of Nigeria consult Ifa on all question...

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...

Luba Caryatid Stool – Upemba Region, D.R. Congo Late 19th century to 1900 Wood lightweight, rich patina Height: 50 cm, diameter top 29 x 27.5 cm Provenance: Danish colonial collectio...

A tall antique Thai freestanding ceremonial drum from the early 20th century, with natural finish, reeded accents and circular flaring base. Born in Th...

Beautiful African headrest-stool from Congo, Luba tribe, correct and good patina and shine of the wood,worm color palet, very decorative piece