Hand-Crafted Tribal Art

Early Papua New Guinea painted Maprik carved hard wood mask. Mid-20th century, with wonderful curved expressive asymmetrical face. Long nose with pierced septum. Faded polychrome pig...

Old well used tall rice container carved from bamboo, with wood top from the island of Toraja, Indonesia. Early to mid 20th century or earlier, with deep dark patina from traditiona...

This rare antique Kukukuku (pronounced "cookah-cookah") war club originates from the Morobe Province, which is a very remote area located within the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Gu...

A Pre Columbian Jalisco seated figure Jalisco West Mexico circa B.C. 100-300 A.D, A Male pottery figure with red slip with elongated head and linear delineated hair wearing ear and nose ornaments, the slim body finely modelled with hands on chest seated...

Purchased from the estate of Patti Cadby Birch Trust. Birch was a collector and a trustee of Both MOMA and MMA. The antelope itself is 13 1/2"x4 3/4...

Headdress in the style of Kayapo Amazonian Indian Tribal pieces, under frame made with moulting feathers sourced in France of blue Macaw feathers, and other South American bird feath...

Antique Chinese Felt for the Japanese Market This unique Chinese felt was imported into Japan in the early 1900s. Little in known about their specific use, or who or might have owne...

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 ...

Headdress in the style of Indian Tribe Kayapo under frame, made of moulting feathers from Blue Macaw, Blue-fronted Amazon, Rosablin, Triton and Alba cacaotès, Alexander parakeet, Demoiselle and Crowned crane, Chinese red rooster and Blue peacock; all sourced within France. With Lapis lazulli...

This Thai hill tribe silver bracelet is beautifully engraved with tribal motifs. The Thai Silver Jewellery created by the Hill Tribes are objects o...

Brazil, Pará or Mato Grosso, circa 1950’s-1960s H. 50.8 x W. 33.5 cm (incl. stand) Provenance: Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s)

Offered by Zena Kruzick Early 20th century tribal sanggori brass or copper alloy head ornament, Toraja people, Sulawesi, Indonesia. These sinuous brass and copper alloy head piec...

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...

Mysterious Amazing, 18th century silver talismanic amulet, Amulet for mother and Newborn with image of Lilith in the center made by Jews in Persia, the top of the Amulet has an amazi...

African Ashanti Kente Cloth, hand loomed textile, ceremonial regalia worn by the tribe early to mid 20th Century

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...

African Moroccan Tuareg tribal Khoumya arm dagger in dark brown leather sheath. great to use as a paper cutter on desk. Handcrafted by Artisans in south Morocco, very fine quality craftsmanship with a stamped leather engraved with Moroccan Tuareg geometric tribal designs. The arm dagger was a weapon widely used by people across Africa in the Sahara and Sudanic Africa, from the central Sahara to North Cameroon, from Nigeria to Somalia. It was worn in a sheath attached to the inner side of the left forearm by a loop, Metal steel blade shows some rust, leather in very good condition. Size: 13 inches length x widest part 1.5 inches. Blade is 1 inch. Africa, Morocco circa 1940s. Great Islamic antique Nomadic Tuareg knife dagger...

Large Early Papua New Guinea Carved Coconut Scoop or Spoon with Figure Scoop is 3 x 4 3/4 x 4 3/4", on custom wood and metal base total height 7 1/2 ...

Hand-carved wooden Indian tribal storage chest box with hand-wrought iron hinges and straps, and handle. Early 20th century, Northern India.

An impressive pair of late 19th century extra-long African currency spears—properly referred to as liganda or ngbele—from the Topoke, Turumbu, or Lokele peoples and related cultures in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presented on museum-caliber custom made black pedestal display stands. A liganda’s monetary value was determined primarily by its length, and based on the monumental size of the pair offered here, they would’ve been classified as dihunga liganda—the largest of those made—and used for important events or transactions such as wedding dowries or the purchase of livestock or a canoe. Each dihunga liganda is comprised of two hand-forged, hand-wrought, and hand-worked thin melded iron pieces that in whole form a sword-like spear with winged elements that smoothly transition to a blade terminating in an elongated tip. Middle ridge with parallel linear decorations on both sides follow the left edge of the blade and the perimeter of the wings. Narrow cylindrical shaft at bottom would’ve originally allowed it to be mounted on a pole or planted in the ground. Both dihunga liganda display a very handsome and desirable amount of uniform natural patina and character throughout. Created and exchanged by the Turumbu originally, as well as by the Topoke, Lokele, Bambole, Wagenia, and Bajurnu peoples of the Isangi, Kisangani, Lomami, Lualaba, and other nearby regions of central Africa until around 1920, at which point the use of liganda as currency was banned by the Belgian colonial powers in control at the time. Presented on commanding museum-quality custom made matte black wood pedestal display...

This magnificent leather bag is covered on it's front entirely with old coins, As has often been the case with this kind of bags, the strap might ...

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

Vintage Nupe of Nigeria thinly cast hollow bronze purse or container, probably created by the lost wax process with attached bronze bells and rings. Hollow with fine overlaid designs...

Mid-20th Century Globular Vessel, Mangbetu People, D. R. Congo An unusually large and striking non-figurative vessel from the Mangbetu people, comprised of six lobes joined to a c...

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 rare 18th-century Ngelima bronze currency manilla is a stunning artifact, weighing an impressive 20 pounds of solid bronze. Adorned with intricate incised line drawings at its e...

This flat shadow puppet was crafted on the island of Java by a puppet artist using buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. It features movable arms, controlled by outer bamboo rod...

A scarce framed fragment of "Negreria" dance cape, circa 1940s, Huayucachi, Junin, Peru. Dating to the mid-20th century, the rare large size South ...

Group of two polychrome painted wood mid-20th century Mexican dance masks. Each with a face one with a lizard on top and the other with a mermaid....

Early Papua New Guinea Sepik tightly woven raffia mask from a talipun bride price currency piece. Old very encrusted surface. Areas of red and other pigments. Wonderful heart shaped...

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...

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...

19th century hammer currency, Ensuba, Bafia People, Cameroon Sometimes referred to as potato masher currency, but known to the Bafia people as ensuba,...

Brazil, Xingu River, collected between 1954 and1977 Made from a cotton thread, woven and decorated with colorful Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica) and Red-and-green macaw (Ar...

Prestige open top basket Sukuma People (?) Tanzania Circa 1900 Coiled and woven basketry, natural fibers and dye 8 x 6 1/2 inches (21 x 16.5 cm) Provenance: ex private collection U...

Dhokra art old ethnic tribal brass traditional ankle bracelet from India, repurposed as ashtrays ,catchall, or vide poche. Handcrafted of a hollow band of heavy brass decorated with chevron repoussé banding and lost wax granulation. The brass inner plate was later added to use the bracelet as a small ashtray. The closure was a push pin mechanism that was closed. India, circa 1920s. Measure: 7"5 D x 2" H. "Dhokra is an ancient folk art tradition prevalent in India in the eastern states of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Dhokra craft objects are made through the process of non-ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique, which is one of the earliest and most advanced methods of metal casting known to human civilization. Its roots can be traced back 4500 years to the ancient city of Mohenjodaro in the Indus Valley Civilization. The name Dokra or Dhokra was used to indicate a group of craftsmen of nomadic type from the Dhokra Damar tribe, scattered over the regions of Bengal, Orisa and Madhya Pradash, whose wares were identified by their beautifully shaped and decorated metal products. The enchanting Dhokra art objects have motifs inspired by indigenous folk...

Carved wood Akuaba, sometimes known as an Ashanti doll or a Fanti doll. Untouched condition with a beautiful natural age-related patina. Akua'ba (sometim...

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 sh...

West African hand beaded head dress crown from Yoruba, Nigeria. This artistic beautiful and functional art piece is covered with beads in ivory, red and black colors with faces bird...

An early 20th century antique African tribal leg band (ankle bracelet), These leg bands were both currency and status symbols for the Mongo tribe of northwest Congo. They were ma...

An exceptionally large Akha Tribe woven silver bracelet with spiral design. This Tribal bracelet encompasses tradition Hill tribe silversmithing techniques ...

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 sh...

A 1920s handcrafted Ethnic bracelet by Berber women of Morocco. Women wear this kind of bracelet and silver jewelry for special ceremonies and wedding. Silver, but not of the standa...

Pre Columbian Inca Stone Canopa A Inca stone Llama Canopa in dark basalt stone Finely and realistically carved with old worn aged patina, The Canopa is used to venerate the Pacha...

Nice vintage heavy hard wood Zulu neck rest with double antelope/animal design and burnished geometric pattern. length 43 cm height 13 cm Period 2nd half 20th century The Zulu are w...

Early Papua New Guinea Sepik tightly woven raffia mask from a talipun bride price currency. Areas of white, black and red pigments. Wonderful heart shaped face with open eyes and mouth. This mask or face would have been tied to a large shell which was the currency used...

Moroccan Berber handwoven tribal throw pillow made from a vintage rug. The front and the back are made from a different rug, front is more elabor...

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...

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...

African shield Oromo from Ethiopia, early 20th century. Base 34 x 20cm.

West African hand beaded head dress crown from Yoruba, Nigeria. This artistic beautiful and functional art piece is covered with beads in turquoise, orange, green, yellow red, blue ...

Early Papua New Guinea abstract hook figure or mask with two opposing hooks, and central looped design, Sepik River area. Some chips missing to central loops. Small hole at top for s...

Large Polychrome Fruitera Pedestal Dish, Cocle Culture, Panama A large pedestal dish with two hammerhead shark-like sea creatures in plum, ochre and b...

Moroccan Berber tribal bracelet Moroccan tribal bracelet, cuff from the high atlas of Morocco. Handcrafted by Berber women using Moroc...

A striking 20th century Amazonian Shipibo pot hand-built from clay, decorated with wide red and orange lines, and glazed with the sap of a tree. Members of...

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

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...

Originally collected in the Solomon Islands in 1938, this one of a kind treasure from the south pacific comes from a private oceanic collection. This is a Solomon Islands Santa Cruz hand carved figure called a Duka, circa 1930s. It was carved in an extremely hard native wood and features a finely carved, unusual extended conical head, a handwoven loin cloth and turmeric encrustation. For your convenience, many of our photographs were taken in natural day light which accurately illuminate surface areas depicting original dark patina that you would expect from an important early carving such as this one. We will include a complimentary custom wood display base that you see photographed. Dimensions: 21.25 inches high Provenance: collected in l938 and originally acquired by a visiting French collecting tourist in the Solomon Islands then to dealer and Texas collector and to our private collection in year 2000 so could have been a specially crafted fine 1930s tourist sculpture piece for the visiting French tourist. History: Duka sculpture from Nendo Island, politically part of the Solomon Islands, is distinctive, and only a limited number of works have been documented. The conical extension at the back of the head represents a man's hairstyle. Called abe, its construction and shape was a symbol of wealth and high social status, and for older men, it also served the practical purpose of covering bald spots. All Nendo figure refer to deities or supernatural beings (Ellis: 2009, pp. 78-85) Auction sale: Bonhams Auctions April 28, 2015 sale. Exceptional Lime Container...