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.

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

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...

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...

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.

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...

From our African Collection: Large scale tall figure with scarification, Dogon and Songe, Tanzania. Square Base with support 24 x 24", 72" h.

A large cow hide blanket, similar to a hide displayed at IES Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At first appearance, one might think this in the style of western Native America rock art or primitive Australian aboriginal art, due to the abstracted human figure and geometric forms. However, the origin is Ethiopia or northeastern Africa. Extreme dimensions are 72" by 64". The age is difficult to determine...

From our African Collection: A Luba Shield from the mid 20th century. 15 w x 40" h. The Luba people or Baluba are an ethno-linguistic group indigenous to the south-central region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.The majority of them live in this country, residing mainly in its Katanga, Kasai, and Maniema provinces. The Baluba consist of many sub-groups who speak various dialects of Luba (e.g...

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

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

From our African Collection: A Nomoli Figure from Sierra Leone made from Stone. 9" across at base, 24" h. Nomoli figurines are among the earliest works of art from Sierra Leone. The Nomoli figurines and similar stone sculptures are the only known remains of an empire that existed hundreds of years ago in what is Sierra Leone and Liberia today. Nomoli figurines are often associated with the Mende people as they are often buried on Mende land...

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 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...

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 Large Baule Mask with Horns, circa 1960...

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. Other images suggest symbols of...

From our African Collection: 2 Baga Snakes, both are 72" h. The serpent Baga (Baga Snake), Kalimbe, or Bansonyi, refers to a protective spirit manifested in the form of a snake that presides over male initiation ceremonies among the Baga culture in Guinea, West Africa. Typically, during the days preceding the initiation ceremonies, two carved Bansonyies appear in the village and are decorated with streamers and colorful banners. The two sculptures are then supported by scaffolding and carr...