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.

From our African Collection: A Baga Figure. 18" w, 48" h. TYPES OF ART Wooden figures, often worn or carried in the form of masks, are used by the initiation societies to educate initiates about the role of the spirits whom they represent. Large wooden serpent figures appear at initiations, and carved anthropomorphic figures are placed on shrines. The ancestors are represented in figures that embody both human and animal characteristics...

Well carved helmet mask of the Bamileke People, Grassland of Cameroon around 1950, former collection of Dr. Heinz Werner Schmitt, Munich/Germany.

Size: 42 cm height. Good condition with great patina and some scrapes and scratches. Great.

The Bamileke are among the artistic elite of the Cameroon Grasslands area. They are ruled by kings, and many of their masks are for royal festivities. Masks like this one belonged to the regulatory society, (Kwifoyn)...

From our African Collection: A Mossi Mask from Burkina Faso, 16" h. TYPES OF ART The Mossi make both political art and spiritual art. Figures are used by the ruling class to validate political power, and masks are used by the conquered peoples to control the forces of nature. Each year at the annual celebrations of the royal ancestors, figures of the deceased kings are displayed...

From our African Collection: A Dogon Granary Door from the 1960s. 18 x 24" h. The Dogon are among African cultures that have remained closest to their ancestral traditions.One such tradition is building granaries and houses for grain storage. Doors of these granaries are often adorned with impressive carvings of animals or people which serve as invocations of deities or spirits, or as symbols of status...

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...

The gourd container with a hardwood stopper with a head. H. 17 cm. Mid 20th century.

Anthropomorphic heddle pulley. Mid 20th century. H. 25 cm. The ears and nose with cotton ornaments.

Finely carved dance crest representing a female bust with an elaborate coiffe. Wood, with glossy dark-brown patina. Africa, Nigeria, Idoma Peoples. Height: 11 1/8" (28,2 cm). The piece is nicely mounted on a custom bronze stand. Old insect infestation (no danger), otherwise very good condition. Ex. old French collection.

From our African Collection: A Senufo Door from the 1960's. 20 x 48" Among the northern Senufo peoples, doors carved in low relief were signs of wealth and social status. In earlier times they were taken as booty in wars between villages. The designs most often refer to divination, bush spirits and sources of power. The central design is adapted from the scarification around a woman's navel, which symbolizes the order of the universe as set out by the Creator...

High quality pair of proud standing male and female figures from the Igbo people in Nigeria, made of strong and heavy wood and mounted on custom stands. The figures were made around 1950. Former collection of Dr. Heinz Werner Schmitt, Hamburg, Germany. Good condition with blackened patina and some cracks, no repairs.

Size: 47 cm height x 10 cm width.

Shipping included

This tall figure was made by the Jompre people of Nigeria, although this appears to be an offensive name, probably given by the neighbouring Chamba, and meaning ‘cannibals’. Alternative names for the Jompre include Kutep, Kuteb, Kutev, Mbarike and Zumper. They inhabit the Benue Valley, on the border of Nigeria and Cameroon, an area that is still relatively undocumented...

From our African Collection: An African Benin Bust made in Bronze from the 1960's. 4" at base, 12" h. The kingship of Benin is closely related to Ife. The first king, or Oba, of Benin is traditionally supposed to be a descendant of Oduduwa, the founder of Ife. The most distinctive examples of Benin craftsmanship are the bronze plaques, which adorned the palace walls. As in the artwork of Ife, the craftsmen of Benin produced bronze and copper heads celebrating the power of the Oba...

Black mask with an unusual slightly conical coiffe. Africa, Gabon, Punu Peoples. Height: 12 " ( 30 cm). The mask is nicely mounted on a custom metal stand. Old accidents and infestations (no danger), otherwise good condition. NOTE 1: A similar mask is in the Dapper Museum collection in Paris, published in "Masques" Editions Dapper 1995, 2000, 2006 Paris, page 89. NOTE 2: Punu masks are worn during funerals by members of the "Mukuji" Society and are meant to represent ancestors.

Intricately carved face mask bearing horns, with features in relief, slit eyes, scarifications, stylised beard. Wood, with remnants of kaolin colouring on eyes, horns tips and coiffe. Fine age patina. Africa, Ivory Coast, Yaure ethnic group. Height: 33 cm. Insect infestation on right side (no more danger), otherwise good condition

Superb and rare mask with a very refined carving, representing a chief, with detailed coiffe, eyes, mouth, beard and scarifications. Wood, with fine patina. R.D...

Shrine object, Yoruba, Nigeria/Benin. H. 74 cm, mid 20th century or older. Ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague.

Male and female figure, wood, textile and glass. H. 32,5 and 36 cm. Mid 20th century. Provenance: Madeleine and Jean-Jacques Keller (until 1980 Abidjan, afterrwards Rheinfelden, Switzerland).