From Ibaden, Nigeria this traditional Yoruba cloth was woven by the men of the village. It was worn tied around the waist of the woman, and used as a baby carrier. This piece was brought back from Africa in 1961. Hand loomed of cotton fibers, it has a wonderful soft color and texture. It measures 10" wide and 68" long including fringe.

H. 20 cm, mid 20th century. The clapper is missing. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021), The Netherlands.

A weaving pulley ending in an expressive head with some scarifying. Carved from hardwood with dark patina, the reel is fixed with an iron wire. Collected by the Swiss ethnologist Charlotte von Graffenried, author of the book "Akan Goldweights". Condition: traces of usage, some wear, the face with fine cracks. Dimension: c. 19.1 cm high x 6.8 cm wide.

Two females from the Egba sub group of the Yoruba’s. H. 23 cm. First half of the 20th century. Ex French private collection. Condition: old insect damage and some old repairs to the ears of one of the figures.

TORSO WITH PHALLUS

Primitive wood carving torso with phallus (like a body mask, though no displaying hole), originally flown out from a collector of African tribal art in Japan, though its details unknown and just told as it's from somewhere in West Africa, early-mid 20th century. approx. W 28 x H 57.5 x D 15 cm (11.02 x 22.63 x 5.90in). Not stand on its own...

From our African Collection: A Makonde Legionnaire from Tanzania, circa 1940. 12" wide at center, 52" tall. The Makonde are an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania, northern Mozambique, and Kenya. The Makonde developed their culture on the Mueda Plateau in Mozambique...

Lovely small bird fetish from the early to mid 20th century. H. 24 cm. Ex Jean-Marc Desaive, Belgium, Ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague, The Netherlands, Ex Berry de Bruijn, Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands.

A serene mask from the first half of the 20th century. H. 23 cm, L. 26 cm. Light traces of pigment. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021), The Netherlands. Guy van Rijn archive: ao-0110538-001.

These fertility fetishes were placed in the ground to promote the growth of crops. They were named after Legba, a trickster god of Vodun, who was usually pictured as young, virile, horned and phallic. H. 43 cm, first half of the 20th century. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021), The Netherlands.

Hardwood stool decorated with four carved figures. First half 20th century.One side shows two Yoruba women; the right one is feeding her baby, the left one is holding an unknown object. The other side shows to Yoruba men dressed in European clothing. The top and bottom of the stool are decorated with a geometric band. H. 29,5 cm, diameter 24 cm. Condition: age cracks, the right man is missing his hands. The stool shows good signs of use and has a great patina...

Lovely Losso ancestor figure with an amazing patina. There is a leather band around one of the legs. H. 24,5 cm. Ex. Alain Dufour, Paris.

Hardwood, first half 20th century. H. 18 cm. Old insect damage. Ex private collection Belgium, collected in Abidjan in 1968.

Helmet "ngontang" mask with four faces of circular form and a top of cross form. Wood with white and black pigments. Old collection mark inside. Africa, Gabon, Fang ethnic group. Height: 19.5 cm. Diameter: 15.5 cm. The mask is nicely mounted on a custom stand. Abrasion, otherwise good condition. Provenance: French provincial auction sale.

From our African Collection: A Senufo Winged Figure,circa 1960. 72" h. The Senufo people, also known as Siena, Senefo, Sene, Senoufo, and Syénambélé, are a West African ethnolinguistic group. They consist of diverse subgroups living in a region spanning the northern Ivory Coast, the southeastern Mali and the western Burkina Faso. One sub-group, the Nafana, is found in north-western Ghana...

Made of brass and iron. H. 26 cm. Provenance: W. Häusler, Thurgau, Switzerland, collected in Nigeria in the 1960’s, Hammer Auktionrn, Basel, Switzerland.

Ancestor figure. Ca. Mid 20th century. Strong posture and very good patina. The lower legs eaten by termites. H. 46 cm (51cm including the stand).

Long mask of the "Kiwoyo Muyombo" type, with typical face and long "beard" underneath covered with bicolored lozenge relief design in a bamboo slice framing . Wood, remnants of pigments, fine glossy patina. Africa, Gabon, Pende Peoples. Height: 18" (45 cm). Chips on some areas, otherwise very good condition.

From our African Collection: A Mali Bamana Figure on Horse. circa 1900. 12" wide at base, 60" tall. The Bamana Empire (also Bambara Empire or Ségou Empire) was a large West African state based at Ségou, now in Mali. This state was established after the fall of the Mali Empire and the Keita dynasty, as a smaller Bambara Empire founded by other Bambara families related to the Keita clan. It was ruled by the Kulubali or Coulibaly dynasty established c...

Ife Benin Bronze Hip Plaque with Warriors and a leopard head. Size H 9" W 7" H 2"

Such figures (twins beaded) were reserved for high status "royal" tribal leaders for protection. Heavily decorated with beads, bone and cowrie shells, this pair is 80 years old and have some kind of marking on the bottom. sourced out of Fumbane (foumban), approximately 12 inches high

Rare "Mbangu" deformity mask, showing a distorted face. Wood, with traces of black and white pigments. Africa, Gabon, Pende Peoples. Height: 12" (30 cm). The mask is nicely mounted on a custom metal stand. Old accident restored locally, chips, age cracks, otherwise good condition. NOTE: Representations of distorted faces are rare in African art. They symbolize the effects of epileptic crisis, which are supposed to be a manifestation of the spirits...

This collection of 3 hand carved wooden hair combs is from the Nigerian Yoruba tribe. They were brought to the US by a (then young) anthropologist who traveled extensively in Africa during the early 1960's and have been retained in his personal collection until recently.

The taller center comb is 8 inches and the shorter combs on the sides are 4.25 inches. I prefer to sell them as a collection.

Handsome handcarved wooden ceremonial mask from Kenya. The mask is carved from a single piece of wood. Excellent condition, the back has a screw attached for hanging on the wall. Circa 1970. 12/1-2" x 5-1/4".

From our African Collection: A Bamana Tribe Chief's Chair from Mali with a Crocodile Motif. 22" w x 52" h. TYPES OF ART The artistic tradition of the Bamana is rich, filled with pottery, sculptures, beautiful bogolanfini cloth, and wrought iron figures fashioned by blacksmiths...

From our African Art Collection: An Akan figuring holding an Ashanti Stool, the figure has distinguishable tribal markings on its cheeks. "The Akan (/ˈækæn/) are a meta-ethnicity living in the countries of present-day Ghana and Ivory Coast...

H. 9 cm. Mid 20th century or a bit older. For a similar spoon see the screenshot of the Van Rijn Archive.

Face mask of oval shape, with typical cubistic features. Wood, dark-brown patina, remnants of kaolin around the eyes. Africa, R.D. Congo (ex. Zaire), Lwalwa Peoples. Height: 11 5/8" (29,7 cm). The mask is nicely mounted on a custom stand. Old accident locally restored on top of coiffe, otherwise very good condition.

From our African Collection: A Yoruba Metal Wheel Shrine, circa 1900. approx 80" h. TYPES OF ART The arts of the Yoruba are as numerous as their deities, and many objects are placed on shrines to honor the gods and the ancestors. Beautiful sculpture abounds in wood and brass and the occasional terracotta. Varied masking traditions have resulted in a great diversity of mask forms. Additional important arts include pottery, weaving, beadworking and metalsmithing. HISTORY The oral hist...

Very large doll made by a known carver. H. 40,5 cm. Second quarter of the 20th century. Condition: both arms reattached. Lovely honey brown patina. The style of this Akuaba with its unusual coiffure is described in the book ‘Akua’ba Asante Wednesday Child’ by Ron van Doorn and Herbert M. Cole. Provenance: Robert van der Heijden, Amsterdam. (Vetter at Parcours des Mondes, Paris).

Gelede mask - Yoruba - Ohori - Benin. H. 25 cm. Mid 20th century. Guy van Rijn archive ao-0110592-001. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021).

"Gorfa" milk container, made of calabash covered with tightly woven vegetal fibers, with a leather handle partly decorated with cowries. The gorfa is also covered with leather and wood protection, and its foot is decorated with cowries. Ethiopia, Borana Peoples. Height: 21.2 cm. Very good condition. NOTE: The Borana society is build around the maintenance of cattle, which are their prime source of sustenance. Milk and yogurt also are staples of the Borana diet. Many Borana folktales and songs ...

Wood covered with sheat metal. H. 30 cm. Mid 20th century. One horn repaired. special price: from € 750 for  € 300

From our African Collection: a Hand Carved container from the Easter Democratic Republic of the Congo, hand wrought. 8" x 15", 9" h. Congo’s many ethnic groups and regions have developed a mosaic of traditional arts, including painting, sculpture, music, and dance. There has been a tendency to classify sculpture and carving according to the styles of the areas from which they originate

African, probably Ethiopian teaching board. Extra large 89x39 cm. Heavy wood with black ink Arabic script on both sides. Ex private collection. Can be viewed and collected in central London as excess weight would make shipping expensive.

A late 19th to early 20th century Montol figure with a great provenance. This hardwood female figure stands 35,5 cm tall. A very strong figure with possible influence from the Goemai, Chamba or Mumuye. Provenance: Collected in 1967-68 by Daniel Mato, former curator at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Professor Emeritus at the University of Calgary, department of art history. Amyas Naegele, New York, ca. 2002. Robert Beckman, Henderson, Nevada. Srdjan Sremac, The Hague. Exhibited ...

A small oil on Masonite painting of giraffes silhouetted by an African sunset, 10" by 8", unframed, signed at lower right "B.C. Syrett 1968". I do not see information on the artist, who was obviously talented. The painting could use a cleaning to remove soiled varnish, light scuffs and some stray black surface marks in the sky.