Tribal & Oceanic Art
Ironwood (palo fierro) carving of a seal, Mexico, second half C20th
Price: £55
The ebony like wood used here is distinctive and comes from the Olneya tesota tree, which grows in the Sonora Desert in northwest Mexico and the southwest United States. For many years used as firewood or for the production of charcoal and only carved to form tools or small toys, it began to be used for the production of small sculptures and figurines to be sold to tourists from the mid C20th onwards but these became so popular that by the end of the C20th restrictions were imposed on the supply and use of the wood causing its price to rise and the output of carvings to reduce making the existing pieces more valuable.
Carving was originally done by the Seri people, a nomadic tribe of no more than 500 who live in Mexico and then by town and city dwellers from Sonora and Baja California, who embarked on the trade after the figures became commercially popular. Seri carvings were essentially hand made whereas the mass produced pieces were created with the use of power tools.
The forms are derived from wildlife and are often abstract in style. While it may owe some elements to the use of machine tools, this carving is a fine example of the ‘ironwood’ style with its sleek lines imaginatively representing its subject. The modelling is expressive and well complemented by the patina and finish of the wood. From the above, dating is clearly to the second half of the twentieth century and perhaps more to its later years if this is an example of the ‘commercial’ pieces produced at that time.
Wood Mask, Borneo late C20th
Price: £25
This is a striking wood mask, probably ebony, carved in a bold, semi abstract style, the facial details flanked on each side by two volute decorated ‘ears’, the back hollowed out and pierced at the top for hanging. These gargoyle like creations were made in Borneo, the island north of Java whose sovereignty is shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. They are held to be the work of the Dayak tribe and were sometimes used for harvest festival or fertility rites, soul catching and death ceremonies and spiritual dances, but were also, no doubt produced as tourist souvenirs which is most likely what we have here. The decorative appeal is obvious and the potential spiritual functions an added bonus. Dating is to the late twentieth century.
Pair of African Wood Figures of a Man and a Woman, probably mid C20th
Price: £25
A pair of wood figures of a man and a woman carved in an abstract style with slender proportions, the man holding a long staff and the woman balancing a vessel (presumably for water or wine) on her head, the clothing of both with etched patterned decoration and their complementary bases with contrasting geometric designs. The patina and colour of the wood suggests ebony and the style is African. As with the previous lot there is a label indicating manufacture in Nigeria and Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It was a trade centre and a likely source of artefacts made for tourists of which these are most likely an example. Dating is probably as the label indicates and many other similar pieces were produced at that time.
African rosewood sculpture of a seated musician, second half C20th
Price: £75
A rosewood figure of a seated musician playing a wind instrument, carved in a semi abstract style and with elongated proportions, the surface highly polished and showing in places the variegated patina of the wood. The style suggests African work similar to the pair of Makonde style figures also included in this sale but while similar pieces can be found there are no direct parallels. The composition is striking and the quality of the wood enhances the carver’s skill. Dating to the second half of the C20th seems likely, perhaps to the 1960s.
Vintage Carved wood figure of a Lady, Bali, Indonesia, second half C20th
Price: £45
A finely carved wood figure with a rich patina and veining of a young woman crouching, her head, which is elaborately coiffured, slightly inclining as she looks at the devotional stupa like object which she is holding. The style of this piece indicates that it was the work of a Balinese craftsman and the signature underneath confirms this. The island of Bali in Indonesia has a rich tradition of wood carving dating back hundreds of years. Known in the Balinese language as 'Batuan', wood carving has its roots in Bali's Hindu-Buddhist culture. Typically, the pieces are made from hardwoods with a coarse grain including teak, chempaka wood and sandalwood. The decorative grain effects here, though, suggest mahogany and the highly polished finish is quite striking and far less commonly found today. Dating is probably to the 1960s and the artist (with the Balinese surname ‘Mudita’; his first name cannot be made out) has revealed the place of manufacture which is Sanur, a famous beach resort. These figures were often bought by tourists which explains why they are found today in Europe.
Balinese Portrait Bust of a Male Head, early C20th
Price: £45
Balinese hardwood Portrait Bust depicting the head a young man wearing traditional headdress. Figures of this type were made in Indonesia on the island of Bali and are sometimes found in pairs of a man and a lady, giving rise to the suggestion that they were wedding sculptures. Dating is usually ascribed to the early 1900s and this piece would then reflect the interest in ethnic art which was quite widespread at that time.
Vintage Carved wood bust of a Lady, Bali, Indonesia, second half C20th
Price: £75
A finely carved wood bust with a rich patina and veining of a young woman wearing traditional headdress. The style of this piece indicates that it was the work of a Balinese craftsman. The island of Bali in Indonesia has a rich tradition of wood carving dating back hundreds of years. Known in the Balinese language as 'Batuan', wood carving has its roots in Bali's
Hindu-Buddhist culture. Typically, the pieces are made from hardwoods with a coarse grain including teak, chempaka wood and sandalwood. The decorative grain effects here, though, suggest mahogany and the highly polished finish is quite striking and far less commonly found today. Dating is probably to the 1960s but the aura of calm contemplation recalls Chinese pieces of an earlier era.
Vintage Carved wood figure of a seated Man, Bali, Indonesia, second half C20th
Price: £75
A finely carved wood figure with a rich patina of a seated man in deep contemplation wearing traditional headdress. The style and quality of this piece indicate that it was the work of a Balinese craftsman. The island of Bali in Indonesia has a rich tradition of wood carving dating back hundreds of years. Known in the Balinese language as 'Batuan', wood carving has its roots in Bali's Hindu-Buddhist culture. Typically, the pieces are made from hardwoods with a coarse grain including teak, chempaka wood and sandalwood. The highly decorative grain effects here suggest teak and the patterning complements the composition perfectly. Dating is probably to the 1950s or 1960s. Similar pieces are said to have been purchased around that time.
African Carved Wood Figure of a Lady, probably mid C20th
Price: £25
A carved wood figure of a lady in abstract expressionistic style represented kneeling with her legs presumably tucked up behind her, the body smooth and with detailing to the hair which flows down onto her back, the base in the form of a sketchily modelled rock. The colour and patina of the wood suggests ebony and the style seems African - Nigerian, in fact, if the label is to be believed, although the town indicated, Takarodi, seems to be located in Ghana. Dating, though, is probably as the label suggests and this was, no doubt, one of the many pieces made by local craftsmen as tourist souvenirs.
Large African hanging wall decoration : lion, rhinoceros and elephant, mid C20th
Price: £75
This is a long hanging wall decoration comprising figures of a lion, rhinoceros and elephant all linked with rings and carved from a single piece of ebony wood. A virtuoso feat of the wood carver's art and seemingly with very few parallels it was made by an African master craftsman and probably dates to the 1950s, destined, no doubt, to be a trophy souvenir.
A Pair of African Ebony Wood Makonde Style Carved Figures, probably late C20th
Price: £55
A Pair of African Ebony Wood Makonde Style Carved Figures of a Man and a Woman, probably late C20th
This pair of wood figures represents a man (left) and a woman (right) carved in a semi abstract and elongated style. Both are dressed in flowing robes, the lady’s pulled away to expose her right breast. The man holds a stylised shield and the lady a stylised musical instrument as indicators of their gender and the lady is slightly more ornately dressed with a necklace collar and bangles at her hands and ankles. Both are represented with the stretched earlobes typical of the Maasai people. The weight, graining and dark highly polished surface of the wood sugests ebony which became the preferred material for wood carving of the Makonde people after the 1930s when their art began to attract the attention of Western collectors.
Maasai and Makonde are ethnic terms used to describe African peoples who live in Tanzania, Mozamique and Kenya, with their own distinctive languages, culture and art. This pair of figures is typical of the wood carvings produced by their craftsmen in the second half of the twentieth century but their quality and size is well above average, the ebony wood finely rendered with much attention to detail and finished with a highly attractive glossy patina. The two figures complement one another well, their heads slightly turned to face one another with their legs turned slightly outwards and their robes flowing almost in mirror image. The abstract style makes them well suited to a contemporary interior where they could prove a striking accessory.
A Pair of African Carved Wood Figure Head Plaques, C20th
Price: £45
A pair of carved wood plaques depicting the heads of a man and a woman and carved in a semi abstract style with black coloured detailing to the hair and facial features and marked ‘O’ ‘B’ to the reverse. The style of these and other similar pieces suggests African work but the provenance is uncertain. Both Senegal and Ghana are sometimes mentioned. These are certainly striking examples and probably date to the late C20th.
Pair of African wood Makonde style Busts of a man and a lady, C20th
Price: £95
A pair of wood busts of a man and a lady, the highly polished and expressively sculpted faces combined with ‘headresses’ and bases in the natural texture of the wood. Pieces like these are held to be the work of wood carvers from the Makonde tribe who live in Northern Mozambique and Southern Tanzania. Their work, mainly figures and portrait busts, is characterised by an angular, almost abstract style: one might nearly say the African version of ‘El Greco’. Many of the pieces are highly polished but a few combine natural and worked wood, as here. The result is striking. Dating is probably to sometime in the second half of the twentieth century, but the work is, in a sense, timeless and could complement the most modern interior.
Ebony carved wood figure of an Impala (antelope), African, second half C20th
Price: £75
An impressive carved wood figure of an impala, standing on a rocky base with his head erect, the ebony wood finely detailed and with an attractive patina. The impala is a species of antelope, slightly more delicate in physique with long slender antlers and found in Southern and Eastern Africa. It was the subject of wood carvers in the later years of the twentieth century and similar figures are dated to the 1970s and thought to have been carved in Tanzania, which is most likely the case here. This is an excellent example of good size which has survived in perfect condition (the horns are often subject to damage) making it a striking decorative accessory for a modern interior.
African wood figural group, Guinea c1970
Price: £35
This is a carved wood group depicitng a woman carrying water with a pig, fruit and other household implements.
Large ironwood (palo fierro) carving of a duck and baby, Mexico, second half C20th
Price: £75
The ebony like wood used here is distinctive and comes from the Olneya tesota tree, which grows in the Sonora Desert in northwest Mexico and the southwest United States. For many years used as firewood or for the production of charcoal and only carved to form tools or small toys, it began to be used for the production of small sculptures and figurines to be sold to tourists from the mid C20th onwards but these became so popular that by the end of the C20th restrictions were imposed on the supply and use of the wood causing its price to rise and the output of carvings to reduce making the existing pieces more valuable.
Carving was originally done by the Seri people, a nomadic tribe of no more than 500 who live in Mexico and then by town and city dwellers from Sonora and Baja California, who embarked on the trade after the figures became commercially popular. Seri carvings were essentially hand made whereas the mass produced pieces were created with the use of power tools.
The forms are derived from the wildlife to be found in Mexico and are often abstract in style. While it may owe some elements to the use of machine tools, this carving is a fine example of the ‘ironwood’ style and is, in fact, an unusual composition with the mother and baby duck carved in one piece. The modelling is expressive and well complemented by the patina and finish of the wood. From the above, dating is clearly to the second half of the twentieth century and perhaps more to its later years if this is an example of the ‘commercial’ pieces produced at that time.