Early 20th Century Tribal Art

This baby sling or carrier from the equatorial forest region of north-eastern DRC has an amazing contemporary appearance. The carrier is made from multiple strands of twisted and kn...

Wooden head of a wife of an Ooni of Ile-Ife, Yoruba People, Nigeria, circa 1930s. The Ooni is the traditional ruler of Ile-Ife. The Nigerian town is seen as the cradle of the Yoruba people. The number is the inventory number from Lehigh University. Exhibited: The Lehigh University - Art Galleries permanent collection. Provenance: The collection of Dr and Mrs John E. Swanson. Dr John Swanson and his wife Marian lived from 1966-1981 in Lagos, Nigeria where Dr Swanson was the Advisor to the National Universities Commission and later on the Chief Planning Officer of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. During their time in Africa the Swansons started to collect African art. In 1973 a part of their collection, circa 120 pieces went on loan to The Pennsylvania State University Museum of Art, where the remained until 1978. In 1981 Dr Swanson passed away and his wife Marian never returned to Africa. In 1982 Mrs Swanson lent 130 pieces to the Lehigh University Art Gallery where they remained until 1987. A few pieces were also lent to Lafayette College...

Inspired by the natural world, Nupe ceramicists fired this water vessel in the shape of a gourd. The vessel's varied surface textures and colors come from its functional design. The ...

Like other African everyday ceramics, Bamileke storage pots are revered for their simple forms yet astonishing beauty. Each is hand shaped and fired in the open. They are generally s...

To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...

Ovoid pots were an elegant storage solution in African tribal life. This beautifully balanced example is attributed to the Toussian people of Western Burkina Faso. Masterfully made to protect its contents from the elements, pots such as this one were coiled by female ceramists to hold food or personal...

This early twentieth-century small chair displays a beautiful form. Typically low to the ground, such chairs are found among the Dan and Baule cultures in the Ivory Coast. Carved fro...

A well carved festival feasting platter. One end featuring a long billed water bird head. The exterior carved with a traditional complex interlocking motif. The interior plain and di...

This rare, almost circular-shaped masks, belongs to the Ekanga secret society and would have been kept in baskets at the heart of their sanctuaries. The minimalist style and the whit...

Mbuti Ituri (Congo) traditional handpainted Pygmee bark cloth. +/- 1920 These cloths we're made from the inside of the bark of the Ficus latex tree. After been prepared and dryed, ...

Crafted from ironwood this Mentawai tribe bowl features a handle and subtle wood detailing. A wonderful decorative bowl or table centrepiece certain to invoke conversation. The Menta...

Crafted from ironwood this Mentawai tribe bowl features a handle and subtle wood detailing. A wonderful decorative bowl or table centrepiece certain to invoke conversation. The Menta...

Hand-carved from Wood this is a wonderful example of a Backstrap Loom, an essential component of Ikat textile weaving. The present Backsrap Loom comes from the Island of Madura, off the northeastern coast of Java. The Curved section would fit around the weavers back not only providing support while they would we weave elaborate Ikat textiles but also allowing her to control the tension of the warp during weaving. In many cases husbands would craft unique carved and designed Backstrap looms for their wives and these would often be passed down through generations. The present Backstrap Loom features floral engravings.

Lega People, DRC. Two ceremonial bone Hairpins from the Lega people in DRC.

This comb was fashioned in the hand carved, traditional Makonde style. This fertility comb features a pregnant woman. Generally, local carvers make only a belly and breast comb to be...

nr. 1316 - It's a good old saddle rug, simple with its hex-proof pendants: pleasant to rest on the back of the sofa. But it can become the seat of an armch...

Sometimes called a "Bura bell" due to its shape, this sculptural terra cotta object was part of the Bura tribe's burial ritual. Buried with its flared mouth facing down, this cylindrical storage...

Antique Northwest Persian Bagface Bag, c. 1900 Kurdish weaving is often enigmatic. While Kurdish weavers were certainly influenced by the larger weaving traditions, be it Persian or...

This classically made Dogon ladder is six feet tall and cut from a medium to dark color wood. The 'Y' top is necessary so that the climber may safely lean the ladder against a tree o...

This unusual mask reproduces the feature of the sculpture of the north-eastern Hemba. The mask was collected at Karambare in the 1930s by Dr. R. Sulsenti, at the time practicing in t...