London - Primitives

This small chair from the ivory coast has a truly lovely presence. It is hand carved and showcases the typical design elements of a ‘Baoulé’ chair, low seat with a vertical back. Ind...

This small chair from the ivory coast has a truly lovely presence. It is hand carved and showcases the typical design elements of a ‘Baoulé’ chair, low seat with a vertical back. Ind...

This zoomorphic vessel in the shape of a llama with Black Slip Harness is from the Chancay civilization, dated between 1000 and 1400 AD. The Chancay ...

A collection of six carved 'Yoruba' hardwood combs. The Yoruba People are an ethnic group of Southwestern and North central Nigeria as well as Southern and Central Benin known as th...

An enigmatic late Iron Age stone head sculpture, dating to the 1st century BC - 1st century AD. This imposing sculpture is of characteristically stylized form, carved with a slit mouth, defined ears and hairline. The life sized head is depicted with an intense, even discordant facial expression. The intentional simplicity and earthiness of the features are hallmarks of the type. The base appears to have been modified during the Roman period as it is inscribed in the Latin Alphabet with the letters LR. Stone carved heads such as this piece are found throughout the areas of Europe once inhabited by the Celts, they are particularly prevalent in Britain and Ireland. The head was sacred to the Celts, who believed (as many did throughout antiquity) that it housed the soul. They appear to have had huge significance in Celtic polytheistic practices, it is thought that there may even have been a cult of the human head, possibly revolving around headhunting. Certainly it is clear that the pre-Christian Celts placed an almost totemic value on severed heads. The Roman historian Diodoros Sikulos emphasised their value within Celtic warrior society, asserting that a Celt would not sell the embalmed head of his enemy for any price, claiming that he has no need of gold when he had such an obvious emblem of his courage and skill as a warrior. The heads were kept, carefully preserved in chests, and were removed to be put on display for guests in the warrior’s home. This reverence for the enemy’s severed head is much more than the mere tribal barbarism the Romans took it to be, it was obviously a ritual of both cultic and social significance. There are a multitude of theories on what stone heads such as this piece are meant to represent, though one leading theory is that they depict dieties from the Celtic Pantheon. Indeed, studies have found that these carvings are often found in the vicinity of ancient religious centres and monuments. Such places formed the centre for local communities celebrating important festivals, usually relating to the seasonal equinoxes. One such festival was samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year. It was the time when cattle were brought back down from the summer pastures, livestock were slaughtered for the winter and bonfires were lit across the hills. The human head was also important in this festival, as the skulls of ancestors were brought in order to feast with the living. The use of modern day pumpkin lanterns...

A primitive dresser of diminutive proportions, Spanish, probably eighteenth century, the super structure with shaped friezes, on base of simple board...

Ex-Corby Castle, Cumbria