Hand-Carved Tribal Art

Small dancing Lobi figure with arms out, and cubist face from Ghana, West Africa. ex James Willis, San Francisco, CA. Damage to proper right hand, fingers absent. Heavy encrusted p...

Early Danced Black Wood Mask From the Guro Peoples Ivory Coast Bird on top. Finely carved mask with carved open eyes, and pointed nose and slightly smiling mouth. It is in good co...

Well used and loved Nupe carved wood stool with openwork geometric design, It is in good condition, appropriate for its age, use, and medium. Well used with deep patina, chips and ...

A precious African Art Statue with oven balls for hair, basket weave texture on the face, and wearing a loin cloth. The brass panels are applied on ...

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...

This fine Ashanti stool from Ghana, which dates to the first half of the 20th century, features an unusual motif - a bird of prey. The surface of this stool exhibits a lovely smooth,...

Fine Tribal Bambara cubist figurative wood door lock, early 20th century Mali, Africa great abstract figure with strong cubist stylized elegant face. The Bambara of Mali use decorated door locks sliding horizontal bar and with a removable key (missing here) to secure the doors to houses or millet granary. This door lock shows a stylized human body with strongly sculpted face and carved notch in back to hold the movable cross bar. The rectangular body is decorated with fine, geometric line...

Early Ghost Like Kumu Mask With Kaolin Open Eyes Mouth Teeth, Congo, Africa It is in good condition with wear, polish and erosion from traditional use, appropriate for its age, use,...

The stool was loved by its owner, repaired in several places with decorated metal straps. It has an openwork, tiered lattice central post and four support posts. It has the older sty...

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 ...

Well used and loved Nupe carved hardwood wood stool with four legs and central post, openwork geometric design, with stylized dancing animal or lizard forms. Large conical "leg" in ...

A fantastic Northwest Coast Tlingit tribe shaman's pendant carved from Grizzly Tooth with jeweled/ beaded eyes likely acquired from Western/ European traders. We were told this pi...

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 ...

Late 19th-early 20th century tribal guardian figure, Northwest Nepal The mere essence of a protector figure remains in this weathered fragmen...

Old early Yaka slit drum, deep patina wear and polish from years of use, with original striker. From the Yaka people, Democratic Republic of Congo, early 20t...

This very flat mask originates from the Atoni people of Timor. For the Timorese people masks portray both male and female ancestors, worn by warriors to scare off enemies or during c...

Carved painted wood Ashanti Linguist Staff with bird top and twisted knots forms. A staff like this was the symbol of office for the linguist, a traine...

Early carved wood small Salampasu Warrior's Mask, Zaire, Africa early 20th century, remains of black and white pigments, on custom stand. Mask 10", height on stand 14" strong angul...

Kenyan Massai tribe hand painted hide shield circa 1920.  Not to be confused with modern reproductions. Beautiful decorative piece from Kenya, likely to be from the Massai or Kikuya...

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 ...

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, ...

An old well used Ethiopian head rest with attached oxidized silver or white metal beads and dangles. It is in good condition with wear, polish and eros...

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...

Showing a crescent shaped headrest braced by flattened 'V' shaped supports rising from a cupped base, decorated overall with hand carved linear motifs and exhibiting an old rubbed su...

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

Yaka Carved wood standing Janus back to back male/female divination figure DRC Congo, Africa. Male figure side with open mouth with exposed carved teeth. Female side with traces of...

Early carved wood antelope mask, with many vertical horns, applied glass mirrors, cowries and seeds. Old native repair to one horn. It is in good con...

Antique Nepalese Butter Churn Handle. Known as a Ghurra, individually carved from a single piece of wood having different geometric forms, a circle, a rec...

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...

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...

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...

Old carved miniature mask by the Baule of Ivory Coast, West Africa, representing a bushcow with horns (tip of one missing), dark encrusted patina from e...

Atypical form with a rich high patina. Professional mounted. Provenance: Weinberg Modern.

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...

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...

Add a piece of African history to your home. This is large and evocative of ancient times and ceremonies. Weathered wood mask fragment, Bambara people, Mali, Africa, late 19th-early ...

Yao Shaman's Mask Guizhou Province, China Early 20th Century Wood,horse hair, printed paper, nails Size: 13 1/2" x 8" (34 x 20 cm) On a custom made metal stand. Covered inside and o...

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 ...

Early finely carved African Afikpo mask with stylized geometric abstract long face. From Nigeria close to the Cross River. From an old collection in the Southwest. Overall dimensi...

Old weathered tribal squatting spring figure with hands raised in namaste position, traces of clay and incrustation, expressive carved open mouth and eyes. These were protective figu...

Seated female figure on classic Akan stool holding a sword. From the Ewe people of Ghana, West Africa. Created as three separate pieces that fit together for display, figure, stool ...

The supports for Akan stools take many forms, they can be purely geometric or architectural with simple posts and columns, or, as in this case, figural, wit...

Small early Kuba Cup With Sweet Face, Fine Hair, Handle DRC, Africa Finely carved hair in tight geometric form, small projecting ears. Some damage and wear t...

Exceptional African wood carving ,mounted on custom-made steel base of women graciously looking forward, beautiful facial expression, and very ni...

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...

Blacked wood helmet mask (Gelede), large human head surmounted by a dog eating a snake which curves around the head. No perforation for attachment to costu...

An old carved wood handle from Nepal, North India or other Himalayan culture. A butter churn handle called a ghurra. Created in the early 20th century. The handle with finely carved...

Ancient Cubist Kuba Dance Mask Black Patina, Cone Shaped Eyes, from the Congo, Africa. It is in good condition with wear, polish and erosion from traditional use, appropriate for it...

Early Incised Carved One-piece Gourd Rattle from Congo Africa. Great (unknown) stories shown including a man, snake, two rhinos, a zebra (?) crocodile and on the other side a long s...

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...

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

Papua New Guinea standing figure from the Bioma peoples with raised designs, stylized classic face, and additional face in stomach. Mounted on custom metal and wood base. traces of...

One of the largest African masks that we have seen, this Fang Secret Society mask is a full 66” high. Powerfully carved in traditional form with natural pigment paints made from Ochr...

Carved abstract mythological abstract antelope anteater headdress mounted on wood stand. These motifs symbolize excellence in farming and bountiful harvests...

This 20th-century chair, hand-carved from a single piece of wood by the Naga people of India, is a remarkable blend of primitive charm and modern spirit. The Naga people, known for t...

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...

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....

Sculptural Dance Drum hand-carved by the Asmat Tribe Papua, New Guinea. The fine Hourglass form Drum with handle on one side and flange on the other with traditional incised Mask d...