African Furniture

Mosaic depicting two animals (a dog and a hen) mounted as table. Near East (Apamea?), 2nd century AD, Roman Period Marble moulding added in 2015 Provenance : Galerie Rive Gauche, B...

Exceptionally Fine Wooden Sarcophagus Mask Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, circa 1069-945 BC. Acacia wood, rosewood, hippopotamus ivory Masterfully carved from a single piece of fine-grained hardwood, the present mask is characteristic of the most exquisite funerary art made during the 21st Dynasty, and was probably commissioned for a particularly high-ranking individual. The oval face displays a gently smiling mouth with full, outlined lips, furrows at the corners and a bow-shaped philtrum. The straight nose with rounded nostrils, the cheeks full and fleshy and the large, almond shaped eyes with heavy lids and tapering cosmetic lines, set below long, sweeping eyebrows. Social collapse across the Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age meant that the 21st Dynasty in Egypt was a period of great turmoil. Trade routes were disrupted, governments collapsed, and mass migration occurred. Economic scarcity meant that traditional funerary practices in Egypt were also affected, with a lack of material and financial resources leading to the reuse of preexisting material. As a result, during the 21st Dynasty, 19th and 20th Dynasty coffins changed ownership rapidly and were heavily recycled for new purposes. Tombs were also unmarked allowing them to be shared by many people. These new practices brought forth a shift in the understanding of funerary paraphernalia. No longer important objects owned forever by the deceased, they were now simply seen as short-term transformative devices, whose symbolic and ritualistic meaning could be appropriated for others. However, paradoxically, the art of coffin-making also reached new heights during this period, and many of the richly dec- orated “yellow” coffins, characteristic of the 21st Dynasty, are remarkable works of art in their own right. Indeed, knowing that coffins were being reused throughout Egypt, the Egyptian élite set themself apart by commissioning lavish sarcophagi decorated with the images and texts meant to help guide them to the afterlife, and which would otherwise have adorned the tomb walls. As coffins were the chief funerary element which now identified the dead and allowed them a physical presence in the world of the living, their quality and appearance were of the utmost importance. The traditional coffin ensemble was made of three parts: a wooden mummy cover, which laid directly atop the mummy, an inner coffin, and an outer coffin, both made of a lid and case. Additional decorative elements, such as masks, were carved out separately and later glued or pegged to the lids. After the completion of the painted decoration, the sarcophagus was covered in a varnish to give it its yellow colour. Gilding was sometimes used for the coffins of the high priests’ families, notably on parts representing naked skin, such as the face mask. However, some of the élite tactically avoided gilding altogether as to ensure that their coffin would not be looted. When manufacturing the inner and outer coffins, particular attention was paid to the woodwork. Displaying the skill of the carpenter, this type of funerary art has largely remained unparalleled throughout Egyptian history. The principal wood used to craft the present mask is Acacia nilotica. The evergreen Egyptian acacia was considered sacred and said to be the tree of life, the birthplace of the god Horus, as well as symbolic of Osiris, the god of the dead and resurrection. The modelling of the face in the wood is superb, but the inlays also help mark this mask out as exceptional. Inlaid eyes and eyebrows were extremely rare and reserved to the finest and most expensive coffins. Traditionally, eyes were made of calcite, obsidian, or quartz, and eyebrows of coloured glass paste or bronze. Here, the pupils, eyebrows, and cosmetic lines are inlaid with Dalbergia melanoxylon, a rare type of wood which belongs to the rosewood genus. In antiquity, however, it was known as Ebony of the Pharaohs, from the Egyptian word “hbny”, meaning dark timber, because of its black, lustrous appearance. An extremely dense and hard wood requiring significant skill to work with, ebony was a luxury material highly coveted by the pharaohs themselves, to make furniture, decorative and funerary objects. The wood was imported with great effort from the southern Land of Punt, most likely modern Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, alongside other luxury goods such as gold and ivory. A magnificent ebony throne, recovered in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, illustrates the incredible aesthetic potential of this material and why it was so highly valued by Egyptian royalty. Only élite members of Egyptian society could have afford- ed Ebony of the Pharaoh inlays for their funerary mask. The sclerae on the present piece were once both inlaid with hippopotamus ivory. Whiter than elephant ivory, this type of ivory is also denser, and more difficult to carve. The use of this luxury material, reputed for its gleaming appearance, enhances the lifelikeness of the eyes. For the Egyptians, hippopotamus ivory was imbued with magic powers. The hippopotamus was indeed both feared and venerated due to its aggressive behaviour. Whilst the male hippopotamus was associated with danger and chaos, the female was benevolent and invoked for protection, especially of the house and of mothers and their children, through the hippopotamus goddess Tawaret. Thus, not only was hippopotamus ivory used as an inlay and to make practical objects, such as combs and clappers, but it was also used to make talismans like apotropaic wands or knives. Made during a time of scarcity where few could afford made-to-order coffins, the present mask could have only belonged to one of the highest-ranking individuals in society. Undoubtedly one of the finest Egyptian coffin...

This Late Period to Ptolemaic Period Egyptian carved wood ear, once part of a mummy mask, stands as a poignant testament to ancient Egyptian customs and beliefs. Dating back over 250...

A complete prehistoric polished jigsaw ammonite fossil, originating from Madagascar, presented on an exclusive museum-quality painted plaster base. A natural historical artefact, pre...

An unusual blacknite quartz cluster specimen with covelline and bornite from Ambositra, Madagascar, presented on one of our museum-quality painted plaster bases. This striking and un...

A large botryoidal green malachite specimen from Kolwezi, Congo, presented on an exclusive museum-quality painted plaster display plinth. Named for its distinctive form resembling a...

A mummiform ushabti in blue faience. Four registers of hieroglyphic characters are painted around the lower half of the ushabti, with a vertical column of hieroglyphs in the centre o...

These exquisite Neolithic bracelets from Mali are a captivating testament to ancient craftsmanship and ingenuity. Carved from limestone with natural crystalline veins coursing throug...

Beautiful one-of-a-kind, free-form ocean jasper bowl from Madagascar. This will make a beautiful centerpiece to complement your home and polished to ...

An ancient Egyptian stone vessel/jar, Old Kingdom, 2600-2800 BCE. This is an original lime stone jar from the time of the pyramid builders, these vessels where hand carved with the u...

Bronze statue of the goddess Neith, striding, her left foot extended forward. Her left hand is extended forward and formally held a papyrus sceptre, a fragmentary ankh is visible in ...

Elephant bird egg from Madagascar. The largest egg ever from a living creature; it is from the extinct elephant bird. Assembled from the shards of se...

A pair of monumental limestone sphinxes of Pharaoh Nectanebo I, from the processional avenue of the Serapeum of Memphis, 30th Dynasty, circa 379 - 360 BC. The sphinxes of the Serapeum have captivated travellers since Roman times. However, despite their significance, they are conspicuously absent from the collections of most major museums. Indeed, their existence in private hands is so improbable, and their imitations so numerous, that the present sphinxes were assumed to be modern copies throughout their recent ownership history. Finally recognised and conserved after an extraordinary chance discovery at a garden furniture sale...

TSAVORITE GARNET Merelani Hills, Lelatema Mountains, Simanjiro District, Manyara Region, Tanzania 2.55 cm tall x 3.2 cm wide A variety of grossular g...

ITEM: Scarab with pseudo-hieroglyphic, Anra-type MATERIAL: Steatite CULTURE: Egyptian PERIOD: Second Intermediate Period, 1700 – 1550 B.C DIMENSIONS: 10 mm x 15 mm CONDITION: Good co...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

ITEM: Scarab with spiral design MATERIAL: Steatite CULTURE: Egyptian PERIOD: Second Intermediate Period, 1700 – 1550 B.C DIMENSIONS: 12 mm x 9 mm CONDITION: Good condition PROVENANCE...

A striking polished labradorite freeform sourced from Madagascar, naturally formed over thousands of years. Characterised by its iridescent colours, principally blue, this high grade...

VANADINITE ON BARITE Mibladen, Aït Oufella Caïdat, Midelt Cercle, Midelt Province, Drâa-Tafilalet Region, Morocco 12.7 cm tall x 14 cm wide The Drâa-Tafilalet Region of Morocco, best...

LIDDICOATITE TOURMALINE WITH QUARTZ Anjanbonoina, Antananarivo Prov., Madagascar 7.1 cm tall x 6.8 cm wide Liddicoatite is an uncommon form of tourmaline. It was first discovered in ...

A very nice vintage petrified wood paper weight, circa old! The piece is in very good condition with wonderful brown and tan colors and measures 3"W x 3"D x 1.5"H; felt liner on the ...

ITEM: Scarab with Uraeus, Ankh and neb basket (Amun trigram) MATERIAL: Steatite CULTURE: Egyptian PERIOD: New Kingdom, 1550 – 1070 B.C DIMENSIONS: 12 mm x 8 mm CONDITION: Good condit...

ITEM: Scarab with prenomen for Amenhotep II MATERIAL: Steatite CULTURE: Egyptian PERIOD: New Kingdom, XVIIIth Dynasty, 1143 – 1417 B.C DIMENSIONS: 15 mm x 11 mm CONDITION: Good condi...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

ITEM: Scarab as a commemorative of Ramesses II or prenomen of Shoshenq III MATERIAL: Black steatite CULTURE: Egyptian PERIOD: New Kingdom to Third Intermediate Period, 1279 – 664 B.C...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

ITEM: Romano-Egyptian cartonnage mummy mask depicting a female head MATERIAL: Linen and Gesso CULTURE: Egyptian, Roman period PERIOD: 1st Century B.C – 1st Century A.D DIMENSIONS: 20...

Weight: 70.85 Carats Dimension: 3.5 x 2.4 x 0.7 Cm Origin: Africa Colour: Red Pink and Green Shape: Carving Quality: AAA Tourmaline helps to create a shield around a person or room t...

Spinosaurus (meaning "spined reptile") is one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist. This behemoth lived in present-day Morocco during the upper Albian to upper Turonian...

The cup hand-carved from white alabaster with caramel and white veining throughout the composition. The cup stands upon a tapering base, and widens to form the ribbed, cylindrical cup. Alabaster was a material prized by ancient sculptors...

Weight: 26.40Carats Dimension: 2.8 x 1.9 x 0.5 Cm Origin: Africa Colour: Red Pink and Green Shape: Carving Quality: AAA Tourmaline helps to create a shield around a person or room t...

Standing female wearing a tight fitting white dress and black tripartite wig, serene facial features with large painted eyes. Separately made arms attached with dowel to the shoulder...

O/6416 - Large fossil stone shell - Ammonites were predatory Prehistorie cephalopod mollusks which existed between 400 and 66 million years ago before dying out during the exinction ...

Weight: 26.70 Carats Dimension: 2.6 x 1.7 x 0.7 Cm Origin: Africa Color: Red Pink and Green Shape: Carving Quality: AAA Tourmaline helps to create a shield around a person or room to...

A Pair of Copper Currencies: “Katanga Crosses” Central African Copper Belt (DR Congo, Zambia or Zimbabwe) Cast copper, archaeological patina Size each:...

Amazing and Rare 16th Century Panel Moorish composition 0.81 x 0.81 good condition

This type of Egyptian Vessel was carved from a very hard stone using a simple drill and was most likely used for the storage of ointment or liquids. The small lug handles allowed the...

Amazing and Rare 16th Century Panel Moorish composition 0.81 x 0.81 good condition

Egyptian head of a man, carved granite. 18th Dynasty, circa 1550-1292 B.C. Carved in beautiful dark granite, this head depicts an elite individual, perha...

An 18th century Cape block front chest. This Dutch colonial chest was made in the Cape using local stinkwood it has the original brass handles and carved paw feet.

This 100% complete trilobite fossil of the species drotops megalomanicus on its natural limestone matrix is estimated to date back 400 million years to the Devonian period. Out of Mo...

This 100% complete trilobite fossil of the species crotacephalina on its natural limestone matrix is estimated to date back as far as 400 million years. Out of Morocco, this specimen...

This 100% complete trilobite fossil of the species crotacephalina on its natural limestone matrix is estimated at approximately 400 million years old, dating back to the Devonian per...

An Egyptian steatite scarab with incised features and hieroglyphs to the reverse. The front anatomy features a detailed head and clypeus with incised linear decoration to mark the prothorax and elytra. The reverse side is hard to distinguish. Mounted in a high karat later gold swivel pendant...

This 100% complete trilobite fossil of the species zlichovaspis rugosa displayed on its natural limestone matrix is estimated at approximately 400 million years old, dating back to t...

An Egyptian steatite scarab encased in a possibly later, high-karat gold swivel ring. The scarab is a symbol of rebirth and protection and is decorated with six sacred serpents, repr...

This is one of the largest ancient coins ever. Very rare and hard to find. It is in an excellent condition with a lot of details showing. The coin is about 44.5 millimeters wide and ...

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...

Spinosaurus (meaning "spined reptile") is one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist. This behemoth lived in present-day Morocco during the upper Albian to upper Turonian...

Spinosaurus (meaning "spined reptile") is one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist. This behemoth lived in present-day Morocco during the upper Albian to upper Turonian...

This captivating authentic Egyptian Faience set was realized in ancient Egypt circa 3100 BCE. It offers two sarcophagus figurines- suggestive of miniature versions of King Tut's tomb- hand finished in a beautiful turquoise hue (a glaze created by pulverizing the stone into pigment). Additionally, the set features two figurines (one representative of the Egyptian god Anubis), and the other seemingly a depiction of one of the ruler's as a young child also in a turquoise glaze atop volumetric rhombus plinths with tapered sides in a refined terra cotta hue. Full of historical importance (and stunning as stand alone objects) this collection of Egyptian antiquities...

Bura fired clay heads, possibly 3rd-10th c. CE, Niger, Bura peoples. These are very expressive examples on custom mounts, the larger with manganese deposits. Between the 3rd and 10th centuries, the dead were laid to rest at a site in present-day Niger downstream from the Inland Niger delta. The burial ground’s density and expanse suggest a veritable city of the departed. Several hundred individual graves were marked by upturned pottery urns, some of which were cylinders topped by figurative imagery. The most elaborate of these were full-bodied equestrians, while the most basic were highly abstract, independent heads. Note: These figures will be professionally packed by a specialist shipper at the sellers expense. Dimensions: 11.25"h x 6.75"w x 3"d and 8"h x 3.75"w (incl. stands) Condition: Good, wear consistent with age and materials Provenance: Acquired by the present owner from Dr. David Rilling, 1990s. About Dr. David Rilling. A Pennsylvania based medical doctor, Dr Rilling began collecting African and Oceanic antiques...

Spinosaurus (meaning "spined reptile") is one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist. This behemoth lived in present-day Morocco during the upper Albian to upper Turonian...

This huge, Museum-quality Mesosaurus tooth is genuine, completely intact with no repairs and in pristine condition. This incredible specimen includes a display box for preservation a...

A pair of cut and polished ammonites with crystalline chambers originating from Madagascar. Once living creatures, these ammonites have developed their flowing colours and patterns d...

A large natural silky or fibrous malachite originating from Congo. Silky Malachite, which is a copper ore, is known for its rosette crystalline formation, and are often sparkling in ...

ITEM: Seal with Ptah, Anubis and vulture MATERIAL: Stone CULTURE: Egyptian PERIOD: Middle Kingdom, 2040 – 1782 B.C DIMENSIONS: 39 mm x 45 mm x 32 mm CONDITION: Good condition PROVENA...

A beautiful collection of three large cabinet mineral specimens including amethyst, blue celestite and limonite quartz presented on our medium painted plaster bases. Together, these specimens form a vibrant collection for display, showcasing beautiful colours and shapes formed by nature over millions of years. More details on the individual specimens below: A: Limonite Quartz plate...