Well, here's a little something new about me most of you won't be aware of.
I've been an avid African Art collector for many years.
The bug bit me when I visited a friend and was astonished at all the masks he had covering his walls. It was a sight to behold and me being me, dived head first into this amazingly interesting world.
At the time, I didn't realise how much Traditional African Tribal Art was worth. It's become such a valuable industry that fakes, copies and workshops have become as part of the African Tribal Market as Nike's or Rolex have become in China. It's quite mind blowing.
If you had to go look at some of the main African and Oceanic Auctioneers, you'll find pieces fetching tens, hundreds and even millions of dollars. Most of these are more prominent, documented and verified pieces though, like this Lega Muminia Mask below.
Anyway, back to my collection. Since it's quite diverse I'll have to break it down into segments and share pics as I go along. When I'm done I'll share a post covering the collection in more pics and delve into the details around these, their origins and the Tribal values surrounding them.
Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, so the views and explanations are purely based on my own research.
To start off, here's a view from the kitchen.
In the middle is a Hemba Statue, flanked by what is likely just some commercial pieces, with traces of Luba (or another Tribe) coming through. Heck, I actually can't remember, but my recent searches didn't bring up much else. I do believe the trio look great together though 😊
I guess it's a good time to mention that its been years since I last picked up a piece of African Art 😅 I had to stop. It was becoming too much.
Moving along, I just love how this duo sits on top of the fridge.
Also, a Luba type vibe, with a burnt Kota Reliquary at the back. The Kota is likely a prime example of the extent to which artists go in order to fabricate a recreation of true Tribal Statues. I'll go into more details in a later post, but when Missionaries came across the Kota people, many of these Reliquaries were burnt or tossed into lakes. It came down to converting them to Christianity around the 1930's, so true Tribal pieces are extremely rare and valuable.
As for the Luba one, it doesn't have the more traditional cowry shell shaped eyes. They've been hollowed out and filled with a paste mixture, creating a recessed look which just looks fantastic!
It also doesn't have any arms either, unlike your more Traditional pieces, but I think it's a beautifully balanced piece of work. I feel like this was created by someone with a keen eye.
Below is a final peek into my home, where you can gain a good side view of these pieces. Here, you can see the Kota Reliquaries copper strips covering the wood shape.
So, if this kinda thing tickles your fancy, be sure to stick around. There's lots more where this came from.
I'll definitely delve more into the Kota Reliquary as well as others in more detail.
Until next time, love and peace to you all and have a great weekend 😊
Cheers!
