antique Expressive African statue from the Songye, Congo.
This type of statues serves the Kifwebe secret society and embodies a protecting spirit.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood and and collected in the first half of the 20th century and with Certificate of Authenticity.
Size: 19 cm high.
During the
16th century, the Songye migrated from the Shaba area, which is now the southern part of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their history is closely linked to the Luba's, to
whom the Songye are related through common ancestors. Having waged war against one another
for a long time, the Songye and Luba later formed an alliance to fight the Arabs. They
settled on the left bank of the Lualaba River, on a savanna and forest-covered plateau.
Divided into many subgroups, the 150,000 Songye people are governed by a central chief
assisted by innumerable secret societies.
The Songye traditionally relied mostly on farming and hunting for subsistence. Because the rivers were associated with the spirits of deceased chiefs who were often buried in them, fishing was not practiced except in times of great need. The artistic wares of the Songye, including pottery made by women and weaving and metalworking done by men, were traded extensively with their neighbors.
Our Africa-gallery specialized in Ethiopian tribal art, collected and sell tribal used art from all over Africa and special from Ethiopia.
Our Gallery have a collection of authentic, original and traditional art from Africa. This collection including masks, statues, pottery, musical instruments, manuscripts, headrests and other antique, primitive art and various unusual items.
I hardly ever buy direct from Africa. All my items that I sell are old and (tribal) used. My objects come from European and American private collections, auction houses, fellow dealers and other collectors from around the world.
This site gives you an impression of our stock and activities. Authentic, museum quality African tribal art at wholesale prices
We strive to provide deeper public appreciation for high quality African art and to make it accessible to all collectors.
High quality masks, carvings, statues, fetishes, animal figures, ritual objects and bronzes displayed here will add beauty to any home and value to any collection.
In addition, an ever-growing demand for rapidly disappearing original African tribal art makes it a sound investment.
As long-time experienced collectors, we carefully select and authenticate every artifact. Shown here are original, high quality, hand-crafted pieces made of wood or bronze which can be yours at a fraction of gallery prices! Years of traditional use added distinction to many of them.
We guarantee the authenticity of every item and your complete satisfaction. We make every effort to research and document the history of each artifact.
In our gallery you will find a nice selection of our stock. If you find something that is not on the site, let us know. We always have a large stock of items that are not on our site.
Please let us know if you do not see items you want. We may be able to find them for you.
Stand - The stand is not included in the price, you can buy it via the "stands" button.
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Shipping - We ship worldwide. We try and get shipments out as quickly as possible after payment, usually shipping four times weekly.
Combined shipping - For buyers of multiple items please email us when done shopping for your combined invoice with reduced shipping fees. For urgent deliveries we can arrange courier shipments via DHL (additional charges incurred to be covered by the buyer).
Delivery – Delivery to most destinations is anywhere between 2 to 8 business days inside Europe and 16 to 21 business days to the rest of the world, after receiving our email confirmation that the item has been shipped. Parcels shipped from the Netherlands are sent using the Post NL and the parcel status is traceable online.
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Kind Regards,
Gijs van Kuijk