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Description
PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS ONLY '1' MASK FOR SALE – ITEM 50
(PLEASE SEE THE FIRST / MAIN PICTURE ON EBAY)
(PLEASE SEE THE FIRST / MAIN PICTURE ON EBAY)
OTHER PIECES SHOWN IN THE LISTING ARE FOR INTEREST / REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY - SHOWING OTHER MASKS / FIGURES WE SAW ON OUR TRAVELS AROUND THE VILLAGES WE VISITED!!
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THE FINE TRIBAL GALLERY COLLECTION
Authentic African antiquities & artefacts
(Most pieces sourced by us direct from remote villages)
Item Number: 50
Originates from: Cote d'Ivoire
Tribe: Senufo
Approximate age: Mid C20th - field collected by us
Measurements cm Height 34 Width 16 Depth 10
Materials: Wood,
Condition: Weathered; fair condition
Originates from: Cote d'Ivoire
Tribe: Senufo
Approximate age: Mid C20th - field collected by us
Measurements cm Height 34 Width 16 Depth 10
Materials: Wood,
Condition: Weathered; fair condition
Field collected by us from a village 10 miles north of Korhogo
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Kpelie represented the concept of feminine beauty and fertility. The unique features which characterize the Kpelie mask include elongated flanges radiating from the bottom part of the mask, which are a reference to the hornbill bird. The horns on the mask refer to the ram, an important sacrificial animal. The nodules on the forehead represent palm nuts as well as vulvas; they are flanked by cicatrization marks that symbolize the twins born to the primordial couple. The Kpelie mask was used at
initiation in the societies for boys, adolescents, and adults, at funeral rituals designed to lead the spirit into the land of the dead, and at harvest festivals to thank the ancestors for a good crop.
Kpelie- whether in carved wood or cast bronze copper alloy-- are usually oval in shape with arched crescent shaped eyebrows over narrow slit eyes. The small mouth opens below a slender nose. Scarification marks add to presentation of what is considered beautiful to the Senufo. On either side of the temples are semicircular and rectangular shapes that represent the stylized coiffure worn by Senufo mothers; the center shapes at the side representing ears. Animal horns-- bull, ram or antelope-- represent male attributes of the masquerade. There are often two appendages on either side of the chin, "legs" that connect the spirit to the earth. Most important are the figures on the head, which represent an ancestor closely connected with the society's origin. The figures worn depend on the caste group to which the
individuals belong. However, much of the original significance of these emblems is no longer valid. Wassing has provided the following meanings: a comb, the symbol of agriculture, a bird- especially the hornbill-- linked with the smiths, a bundle of palm nuts, symbol of wood carvers, and small human figures connected with merchants. The hornbill--one of the first creatures on earth-- is an important symbol for the Senufo and appears on many of their carvings.
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Much of the profits raised from this sale will go a little way to help some impoverished children and villagers in Cote D'Ivoire, Liberia and Ghana.
We support 2 orphanages as well as several villages in West Africa to whom we supply seeds, food and clean water solutions. We also run projects which include provision of Malaria medicines and nets.
We have recently helped to build 2 schools in remote villages along with wells and sanitation facilities.
Please see pictures towards the end of our listings of some of our recent aid efforts
or google FINE TRIBAL GALLERY to see more pictures...
We ship ALL of our pieces from the UK
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Please also note, all our masks and figures have been 'treated' by African customs fumigation teams and we have permission from relevant Museums to export all our tribal pieces to the UK
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Kpelie represented the concept of feminine beauty and fertility. The unique features which characterize the Kpelie mask include elongated flanges radiating from the bottom part of the mask, which are a reference to the hornbill bird. The horns on the mask refer to the ram, an important sacrificial animal. The nodules on the forehead represent palm nuts as well as vulvas; they are flanked by cicatrization marks that symbolize the twins born to the primordial couple. The Kpelie mask was used at
initiation in the societies for boys, adolescents, and adults, at funeral rituals designed to lead the spirit into the land of the dead, and at harvest festivals to thank the ancestors for a good crop.
Kpelie- whether in carved wood or cast bronze copper alloy-- are usually oval in shape with arched crescent shaped eyebrows over narrow slit eyes. The small mouth opens below a slender nose. Scarification marks add to presentation of what is considered beautiful to the Senufo. On either side of the temples are semicircular and rectangular shapes that represent the stylized coiffure worn by Senufo mothers; the center shapes at the side representing ears. Animal horns-- bull, ram or antelope-- represent male attributes of the masquerade. There are often two appendages on either side of the chin, "legs" that connect the spirit to the earth. Most important are the figures on the head, which represent an ancestor closely connected with the society's origin. The figures worn depend on the caste group to which the
individuals belong. However, much of the original significance of these emblems is no longer valid. Wassing has provided the following meanings: a comb, the symbol of agriculture, a bird- especially the hornbill-- linked with the smiths, a bundle of palm nuts, symbol of wood carvers, and small human figures connected with merchants. The hornbill--one of the first creatures on earth-- is an important symbol for the Senufo and appears on many of their carvings.
___________________________________________________________________________
Much of the profits raised from this sale will go a little way to help some impoverished children and villagers in Cote D'Ivoire, Liberia and Ghana.
We support 2 orphanages as well as several villages in West Africa to whom we supply seeds, food and clean water solutions. We also run projects which include provision of Malaria medicines and nets.
We have recently helped to build 2 schools in remote villages along with wells and sanitation facilities.
Please see pictures towards the end of our listings of some of our recent aid efforts
or google FINE TRIBAL GALLERY to see more pictures...
In the last few years, we have met with many Chiefs we work with and have now finally received our shipment from 4 countries. There are many stunning old pieces which we will be listing shortly...
We ship ALL of our pieces from the UK
___________________________________________________________________________
Please also note, all our masks and figures have been 'treated' by African customs fumigation teams and we have permission from relevant Museums to export all our tribal pieces to the UK
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Payment
PayPal Accepted as are other methods including cheques,
bank transfers, and postal orders.
Payments can also be sent directly to our charitable fund in Cote D'Ivoire
via our Aid Manager 'Osman Moro', or through our charity partner 'Volunteer to Change - Ghana'
Please contact us to discuss any options
+44 (0) 7833 717017
.
Shipping
BIG POSTAGE DISCOUNTS - IF YOU BUY MORE THAN 1 ITEM
We do not charge for packing, and always try to estimate the minimum postage, but we send pieces 'recorded delivery' which usually means a signature is required by the buyer
We reserve the right to relist items not paid for within 7 days.
Tribal Pieces are packed carefully by us, and normally shipped by
'24 or 48 hour 'tracked' delivery' service in the UK, by our courier.
Normally we use, FEDEX or DHL for International deliveries
We welcome requests from customers as to your specific
postal / customs requirements
Packages are normally insured during transit
and will often need to be signed for
** If shipping rates are not displayed for your country,
please contact us before buying as shipping costs to you may be higher **
Terms of Sale
WE ONLY BUY TRIBAL ART PIECES FROM VILLAGES - THEY TEND TO HAVE MINOR DAMAGE FROM USE AND OFTEN LOCAL REPAIRS
We will endeavour to point out or photograph any 'significant' damage in our listings
About Us
WELCOME TO THE
'FINE TRIBAL GALLERY COLLECTION'
(The eBay side of 'Fine Tribal Gallery')
(The eBay side of 'Fine Tribal Gallery')
Excellent quality Tribally used Art at sensible prices
YOUR BEST RESOURCE FOR AUTHENTIC 'USED' AFRICAN PIECES...
(MUCH OF THE PROFIT OF SALES GOES BACK TO HELP SUPPORT VILLAGES IN WEST AFRICA WE WORK WITH)
We are a predominently English team of tribal hunters based in the UK, with strong links to Ghana and much of West Africa. We have all, over the last few decades, been pasionate collectors of African antiquities, particularly tribally used ceremonial masks and figures. Steve & Michaela previously lived in West Africa for over 15 years, and have an extensive personal collection from their travels around Africa then. African Tribal Art has been plundered over the years and 'copies / fakes' are everywhere!!! - but there are still a lot of nice pieces about if you have the time to hunt through villages!
Many pieces, even in some villages have been made to be sold one day, but with experience you can weed out the obvious pieces and find the genuine tribally used pieces..
Many pieces, even in some villages have been made to be sold one day, but with experience you can weed out the obvious pieces and find the genuine tribally used pieces..
We have found that a huge amount of 'established' sellers and big tribal galleries have never even been to Africa! They rely on so called 'antiques' dealers in Africasending them pieces, or most buy pieces from smaller local auctions in Europe, flea markets and the like, and just reference such pieces to old magazines and books for prices & styles and assume they are 'genuine'.
We have pieces appraised by, and regularly go to many of the big auctions in Paris, at Sotheby's, Christie's, Bonham's etc, and visit friends at the well established Tribal Art galleries there. We have spent many years studying Tribal Art styles and visiting exhibitions and museums in Europe.
The 'style' and 'movement' of pieces is important to us, as is supplying quality art at 'sensible' prices. We sell to established collectors, and even other sellers in Europe and the USA to help fund our aid projects in West Africa.
'Provenance' is all fine and well, and although we do have established collectors offering us pieces to sell for our projects, there are still many gems to be found hidden away in Africa. The same piece we and others may offer for £5000 may be £25000 or £50000 in Paris or New York, because 'X' documented it in the 1940's!! Tribal Art is a growing area & big auction house prices are soaring, as you may have seen recently.
'Fine Tribal Gallery' is not a 'registered' charity. We are passionate about Africa and tribal Art and we are doing what we can to support various villages in Ghana, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, Liberia and elsewhere in West Africa. We are currently working with several 'registered' aid agencies in country, including 'SOS Childrens Villages, 'WaterAid' and with several NGO's such as 'Volunteer to Change' as well as many local Chiefs. We generate the funds they need for specific projects, from the sale of Tribal Art.
We are in Africa several times a year working on our aid projects, and of course hunting for new treasures from 'untapped' sources. Sometimes we go deep in the bush to remote villages - our passion is for rare tribally used artifacts with excellent 'style' and 'patina', not merely antiques.
Our sources for the tribal pieces we have for sale, stretch out across Africa from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, etc down as far as the Congo...
We have a warehouse and shipping outlet situated in Ghana, where we initially store all the 'finds' from our hunting trips around West Africa. We then check and fumigate all the pieces ourselvesthere, and when they arrive in the UK - before we send to our world-wide customers.
Africa is rife with 'copies' and so we do not rely heavily on external sources to supply our pieces (as many sellers do!) as we would then not be able to reliably assure our buyers of the 'provenance' and 'authenticity' of our items. We choose all the pieces ourselves, and do our best to verify the 'age' and 'use' of pieces we find, and we regularly test pieces to verify authenticity.
We have local experts in West Africa who help us to assess pieces we find, regarding age and authenticity, utilising their knowledge of the wood used and the carving styles of the relevant tribes. We regularly send many tribal pieces for 'spectroscopy' age dating tests, at the Museum of Arts and Science in Milan. This can not only date the wood accurately, but can also ascertain if the piece was recently carved from an old piece of wood!
We don't just believe everything we are told by villagers and chiefs...
We don't just believe everything we are told by villagers and chiefs...
This is how we often test pieces - 'Spectroscopy' via the Museum of Art & Science (Italy & Germany) - It confirms type of wood, and age of carving
Please note that we do not always take pictures in a professional studio environment - we often take pictures in or just outside the villages in Africa, often with the owner or a village dancer. Normally, it is even exactly where we find the items... (Quite often this is behind a hut, in a tree, or in a clearing in the village, sometimes we just use a white or black sheet hung from a tree). We do not polish or 'clean' the items, so our customers receive them as they were found by us. This, we believe, is part of the authentic African experience we try to offer.
Thanks for looking.
Thanks for looking.
We always welcome questions, please email us via eBay
Contact Us
Please send us a message via 'fine_tribal_gallery' on eBay
for any eBay related queries, or for any queries relating to purely the tribal art piece.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact
our 24 hour enquiries line on +44 (0) 7833 717017
We are happy to discuss most things
