Tanzanian Makonde carvings are well known worldwide. Carvings – such as this one – represent tribal stories and ancestral history . . . . sometimes showing how ancestors “support” the current generation.
Carved from Mpingo (African Blackwood). The wood allows for incredible carving detail. A layer of light wood surrounds the circumference of the wood with a hard dark inner core. So what you see is not a painted or stained outside wood but the natural color composition of the wood. Notice the toes on the one figure.
Purchased from an art gallery near the Mwenge Market in Dar es Salaam in the 1970s by an American executive who travelled extensively around Africa.
This carving is in good condition except for cracks here and there.
Sculptures of this quality and age are extremely hard to find at an affordable price. Many are found in museums throughout the world.
For the Serious Collector.