20th Century Tribal Art

Vintage 1960's Kuna Mola, a traditional multi layered cotton applique tapestry hand sewn by Central American Kuna native women. Mounted on cardboard, for eas...

Anglo Indian hardwood campaign or dowry chest. This has brass straps, handles and large hinges on the interior. The lock has the original key. The chest is in good condition. It show...

Early 20th Century African Antique Wood Comb with Human Head From the Chokwe Culture of Angola. A fine, old, much used comb with a glossy, glasslike patina...

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 pair of Ibeji figures from lIorin region Nigeria A male and female pair with purple brown patination and encrusted with cam wood powder Fine carvings from early 20th century Siz...

Noblewoman's Skirt. Kuba People, DR Congo. Raffia palm fiber, appliqué, embroidery. Measures: 146 x 31 inches (371 x 79 cm).

African door in carved wood and bronze of chief Baboun, Cameroon, early 20th century Art Baboun, Cameroon, early 20th century. Unique and rare object. C...

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...

Fine Native American Santa Clara Pottery Jar by Ursulita Naranjo Black ware of Ovoid form with encircling Evanya design Period 1950/60s century

Expressive early classic cubist Dan mask with refined expressive look, narrow open eyes and mouth and fine line scarification marks around outside of face. Created early 20th century by the Dan People...

Pair of Tuareg Hand-Carved and Engraved Wooden Spoons – African Art Set of two beautifully hand-carved wooden spoons from Mali, dating to the 1970s. They can be used in the kitchen...

Finely carved with detailed naturalistic features and adornments, this black lacquered and patinated wooden dance mask was made by the Baoulé people of the Ivory Coast during the mid...

Small used Senufo stylized bird beak face weaving heddle pulley, Ivory Coast Africa I Deep patina and polish from traditional use, circular wear inside from weaving bobbin, now absen...

Composed of fifteen miniature heads welded onto a circular form, this intricate necklace is styled after the prestige collars worn by royalty of the Kingdom of Bamum, a pre-colonial ...

This is tapa (bark cloth) made by the Mbuti people, also known as pygmies, an indigenous people who live in the Ituri Forest, which stretches from northeastern Democratic Republic of...

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...

Antique Japanese Double-Ikat Futon Cover This eye-dazzling hand-spun cotton, indigo-dyed 4-panel futon cover is a classic double ikat design displaying rows of concentric squares in...

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...

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...

A wonderful example of a Tibetan Coral Bead mala / neckpiece with a stunning mix of orange & red colours that have aged beautifully over the decades. Tib...

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...

Impressively carved from a single block of wood, this monumental male spirit or ancestor figure originates from the Middle Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. The figure combines stron...

Carved wooden sculpture depicting a woman sacrificing, holding an offering bowl, Yoruba People, Nigeria, 1940s The lid with the bird can be removed. There is a small old chip on the...

Ancient African mask from the Dan Tribe (Ivory Coast, Africa). Beautiful patina inside and out, in good condition with traces of tribal use. Ex. French private collection. Ex. Dutch...

Abaca Tapis Skirt Bagobo people, Mindanao, Philippines Mid-20th century Hemp family Measures: H 23.25 in x W 27.5 in Fully opened: H: 46.5 in x W: 55 in Abaca is a textile unique to...

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...

This very flat mask originates from the Atoni people of Timor, featuring two very small eye holes. For the Timorese people masks portray both male and female ancestors, worn by warri...

Rare Antique Woman’s Abaca Fiber Tube-Skirt, Philippines The Subanen are an indigenous people living in the mountainous interior of Zamboanga del Sur on the Zamboanga Peninsula in w...

A wonderful, beautifully composed, gorgeously colored, quite engaging very large triptych screenprint titled "Black Marlin" by indigenous Australian...

Classic Luba Kabeja Janus Double Figure or fetish with Skirt fetish of darkened wood with polished and worn patina. Striking eyes, and both male and female figures shown with hands ...

Sepik River (Keram River tributary), Papua New Guinea Ancestral Bust (Male Ancestor Figure) Wood, with age cracks and dark matte patina Height: 24 cm, base diameter 10.5 cm Period: M...

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.

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...

WEST NEPAL  TRIBAL Mask  A OLD MASK WITH  ENIGMATIC PIERCING GAZE, SUPERB AGED PATINA, PERIOD   early 20th CENTURY, HEIGHT 32 CM

An exquisite Benin bronze sculpture in shape of a bell depicting an Oba. Oba translates to "ruler" in the Yoruba and Bini languages of contempor...

A genuine ax from the Songye tribe DR Congo, copper around wooden handle and with a heavy copper blade. The axes with a copper blade are much more rare then those from iron Hammered ...

Strong Marka antelope - human wood mask with metal, Mali Africa. Large square open eyes, long nose with horizontal lips, three projecting brass metal braids ending with feathered cl...

Mola, a Kuna word, has several meanings: fabric or cloth, shirt or upper garment for men or women, brightly decorated women's blouses, or colorful layers of fabric, cut and hand-sewn...

From the Dogon tribe of Mali in West Africa. A powerful vertical form sculpture of a standing female surmounted by a male Ancestor Figure lifting an offering to the sky. Powerfully c...

Antique Woman’s Ceremonial Beaded Cache-sexe (Pikuran), Cameroon Worn by the Bana Guilli (Kirdi) women of the Mandara Mountain region in northern Cameroon, pubic aprons, or cache-se...

Nice old Asian ritual festival mask Sri Lanka Ceylonese A pretty cool mask with smiling grimacing man painted with ochre Period early 20th century, from a UK collection. Condit...

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 ...

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

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...

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...

In African art from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Kuba, a famous ethnic group from Kasaï, are known for their mastery of basketry, among other methods of creating works. ...

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...

Antique Ceremonial Raffia Fiber Dance Kerchief, Ivory Coast These unusual Dida textiles are made from hand-plaited raffia fiber that is tie and stitch-resist dyed with natural pigme...

Early 20th century Ceremonial Cloth / Tampan, Paminggir, Lampung region, South Sumatra, Indonesia Commonly referred to as ship cloths, these ceremonial tampan would have been used as gifts, wrappers, cushions or pillows in any number of life-transition ceremonies, including children’s first hair cutting...

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...

A contemporary painting by Australian Aboriginal artist Ronnie Tjampitjinpa (1943-2023). Entitled "Rain Dreaming", the artwork was acrylic on canvas and painted in 1999 Fully documented: originally purchased in 1999 from Kimberley Australian Aboriginal Art, Melbourne, cat. no. KA 708/99; The in the collection of The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica; It was exhibited in: "G'Day LA" Australia Week, in partnership with the Australian Consulate Los Angeles, Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA, 15-25 January 2004. It is housed in a black thin wood frame. Ronnie Tjampitjinpa was born in Pintupi land at Muyinnga, about 100 kilometres west of the Kintore Range, just across the Western Australian border. He is the son of Uta Uta Tjangala’s older brother, Minpuru Tjangala (c.1899–1976). Artist's Biography (Courtesy of Art Gallery NSW) After his initiation into Pintupi law at the site of Yumari, Tjampitjinpa and his younger brother Smithy Zimran Tjampitjinpa walked into the Aboriginal community of Yuendumu. They later joined their parents and other siblings – who had come in to Ikuntji (Haasts Bluff) in 1956 from the Dover Hills/Yumari area – at the new settlement of Papunya. Tjampitjinpa worked as a labourer, assisting with the fencing of the aerodromes at Papunya and Ikuntji. He was one of the youngest of the group of men who began painting at the start of the Western Desert art movement in 1971, and was a founder of Paunya Tula Artists. During the 1970s, Tjampitjinpa was preoccupied with returning to his traditional lands and became a strong advocate for the outstation movement, travelling between meetings in Papunya, Yuendumu, Wirrimanu (Balgo) and Mount Doreen Station. His goal was finally achieved with the establishment of the Walungurru (Kintore) settlement in 1981. Tjampitjinpa moved there with his young family in 1983, establishing an outstation at Ininti (Redbank) and serving as chairman of the Kintore Outstation Council. During this period, he emerged as one of Papunya Tula Artists’ major painters, pioneering the bold, scaled-up, linear style that came to dominate many of the Walungurru painters’ work during the 1990s. His distinctive aesthetic preoccupa-tion is exemplified in the untitled works of 1994 and 2001. Now one of the last founding members of Papunya Tula Artists, Tjampitjinpa’s career spans more than 40 years. He has had six solo exhibitions since 1989 in Australia, most recently at Utopia Art, Sydney. Throughout the 1980s Tjampitjinpa worked devotedly on a land claim for Ininti, holding meetings in Darwin, Warmun (Turkey Creek...

A genuine carved wooden frame with a figure inside carved from 1 single piece, these kind of items called "Nzambi". Upper Kwango area DR Congo Tribal aged using patina Heigth 24 cm, ...

Cut-Pile Raffia Panel, Shoowa People, a northern group of the Kuba, D.R. Congo A fascinating example of a cut-pile prestige cloth from the Shoowa people,...

Large Dogon ladder, Mali Wood Early to mid-20th century Measures: 75.5 x 14 in. / 192 x 36 cm With a textured, eroded patina, this ladder was originally used outdoors. Ca...

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...

Pair of African Tribal Art mask parchment wall shade sconces. These Art pieces could be used as large wall lamp shade. Iron frame covered with hide w...

Antique Embroidered Nomadic Herder’s Vest, Tibet A rare example of a herder’s vest from west Tibet. Composed of thick natural brown Tibetan sheep’s wool, heavily embroidered with na...

Wabi sabi hand crafted stool. Made by the Oromo people of Ethiopia around the 1950s. Carved from a single piece of hardwood. Skillfully made and highly decorative. The top is made co...

This piece is an excellent example of an adornment used by Abelam warriors to frighten their enemies. They are held in a warrior’s mouth for courage and to intimidate their adversary...

Antique Japanese Recycled Zanshiori Jacket Zanshi-ori cloth is woven from leftover cotton and silk threads, either from commercial kimono production or from home-produced recycled y...