African Tribal Art

Standing figure of a man, Baoulé statue, wood, circa 1950, Ivory Coast, Africa. Height 34 cm. Provenance: JB Bedaux, The Netherlands; privaye collection, The Netherlands. Belgiu...

A striking abstract modelled terracotta figural torso the expressive visage gesticulating with open singing mouth and beard and ridged coiffure carrying a object on his back, in heavy solid terracotta with red pigment A splendid and rare example of ancient abstract art. Size: H 8.5 " W 5 W 2.5 . 22x12 x6cm on included high quality custom metal stand. overall height including stand 13.5 " , 35 cm West Africa, Ghana, Koma Land culture, 13th to 16th century CE Ex Anthony Powell...

Nature has been a source of inspiration for artists, craftsmen, and to people of all trades since the dawn of time. This traditional Dogon door from Mali is ideal to bring a piece of...

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

Early 20th century prestige cloth, Dida people, Ivory Coast Raffia, natural dyes An engaging example of resist-dyed prestige cloths, this raffia fragment is professionally mounted o...

Three Tutsi gourd storage vessels ( liquids wine ) in good original condition with beautifully aged old surface color. Mid 20th century. Burundi Africa. Measurements - gourd w/ wov...

Fine portrait kpwan mask with tall braided hair design, dark to black patina, from the Baule People Ivory Coast Africa, ex Fearing. Well carved features, curved slit eyes, open mout...

Senufo pulley, carved wood, metal, rope. Height 21.5 cm. Provenance: Escanne Collection, Van Bussel Collection, listed in The Masters of Sculpture of Côte d'Ivoire, page 235. Côte d'...

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...

Early 20th century male baule figure, ivory coast, Africa A stylistically pleasing sculpture of a spiritual spouse (blolo bian) from the Baule culture....

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...

Kuba (Bushong) Raffia Fiber Textile Panel From Woman’s Skirt The Bushong people are one of the largest and most dominant ethnic groups within the Kuba Kingdom in the DR Congo, and h...

Bamana old original pair Chi Wara headdress. Chi Wara (Antelope Headdress.) The dry savanna permits no more than a subsistence economy and the soil produces,...

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...

Well-used wood door lock used by the Bambara people, Mali, Africa, with crosspiece. The top is an animal head with horns possibly an antelope. Includes...

A long Berber necklace, hand-crafted with Copal amber large beads and silver accents. Morocco, early 20th Century. Copal amber is a tree resin similar to amber but not fully fossil...

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...

A vintage carved ten leg tribal "Elephant" wood stool with a finely decorated top. The carved central star has a square in the middle and is framed by three different carved bands. T...

"Antique Pende Basket – Congo (drc) – Early 20th Century" An authentic African basket attributed to the Pende people, from the Bandundu / Kwilu region of the Democratic Republic of C...

Songye Kifwebe Mask, D.R. Congo – late 19th / early 20th century Important early Kifwebe mask from the Songye people, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Hand-carved wood with an old ...

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...

Powerful Scarified Makonde portrait helmet mask from Tanzania. Early 20th century with heavy dark patina from traditional tribal use, wear inside from being used. Finely carved featu...

A Powerful Baule Mask With rich dark ‘lacquered black’ patina, excellent colour with areas of ‘kaolin’ Wood Ivory Coast Early 20th Century Size: 32.5cm high - 12¾ ins high Prov...

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.

"Porpianong" refers to a Senufo wooden sculpture of a hornbill bird from West Africa, symbolizing fertility, continuity, and the Poro men's society. The figures are also called "Seti...

A rare and large hand carved horned Songye Nkisi power figure. A ‘Nkisi’ is a protective power figure of the Songye, southeastern Congo. Such sculptures are used as a major role in t...

Rare African tribal wooden decorative drum with hide and rope produced in Africa early 1900s. In good original condition. Dimensions: H: 38 cm / 14.95" Diameter: 17 cm / 6.70"

Vintage Moroccan Berber tribal bracelet from the High Atlas of Morocco. Handcrafted by Berber women using Moroccan silver nickel. The...

While shield and spear were central to African combat, this iron sword blade was most likely made to serve as a piece of trade currency. Many pre-colonization African currencies were...

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...

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

Moroccan Berber hand-carved wooden sugar hammer "Deggaga". Handcrafted by the Berber women of Morocco, hand-carved and hand painted wood with tribal desig...

A long Berber necklace, hand-crafted with stone beads and wool, with a round filigree silver accent. Morocco, early 20th Century. Green and blue amazonite, red coral, glass and sto...

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...

This early twentieth-century mask, from the Chokwe culture in Angola, displays unusual features. Carved from a light wood and decorated with yellow pigments, this fine mask exhibits ...

A Kuba mat from the Kasai region of the D.R.Congo These were used on the ground, there are photos showing the Kuba King seated on similar ones. Raffia cord is wrapped around the thic...

A pair of West African incised iron and copper wire axe form currency pieces or may have used as dance wands. On custom mounts. In the form of a ritual axe, which in many parts of A...

Antique, 19th century Asian Middle Eastern collector two person wooden camel saddle with ornate brass mountings and iron reinforcements. 19th Century Midd...

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...

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...

Antique decorative Moroccan Arabian khoumaya or Jambiya, which is the name in Arabic Ornate with brass and silvered steel hammered element and wood handle. The decorative dagger is v...

A provocative late 20th century Kuba cloth panel with a bold zigzag and diamond pattern woven in black and natural cut pile raffia surrounding a tongu...

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...

Superb Large Antique Maasai Shield – East Africa Origin: Kenya/Tanzania, East Africa Culture: Maasai Period: early 20th century Material: Hide, natural pigments, and wood Dimensio...

Ceremonial comb, Luba People, Zaire, D. R. Congo Made of palm leaf midribs, this large, graphic comb has a pinched waist and is held together with finely wrapped wire. Presented o...

Early Ibibio standing carved wood male figure, powerful expression with hands on sides of stomach, exposed teeth and vertical raised scarification marks on sides of face. From a shr...

Early to mid-19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in circle form. Intricate graphical geometrical. This type of bracelet was worn/used by the Zaghawa People also called Bé...

Early to mid century danced light wood mask from the Kumu or Maniema region, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa with face divided into four opposing quadrants with orange and trace...

20th Century bark cloth painting, Mbuti people, Ituri Forest, D. R. Congo A wonderful barkcloth from the Mbuti people in the Ituri forest of northeastern Democratic Republic of the ...

Beautiful, impressively sized and elaborately carved "Tree of Life" sculpture from Tanzania, Africa. These carvings are created from a single piece of wood and feature "Ujamma" or ...

An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida (Ivory Coast) hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched frame. This kerchief was not woven on ...

Mid-20th century tribal beaded cache-sexe modesty apron (pikuran), Mandara Mountains, Cameroon These colorful cache-sexe were worn for celebrations, rit...

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...

Mid-20th century tribal beaded cache-sex modesty apron (Pikuran), Mandara Mountains, Cameroon These colorful cache-sex were worn for celebrations, rituals...

A pair of wonderfully sculptural early 20th century handwoven wicker shields from the Tamberma people of Togo, mounted on custom steel stands.

This magnificent gold bracelet was made for Ashanti royalty. The Ashanti Kingdom's wealth was significantly based on gold-mining and trading in gold, as well as agriculture. The ki...

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...

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 ...

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...