17 items
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African products
A carved wooden Akuaba figure, 25cm tall, with the large flat disc head of the best known Akan form, a ringed body and a beaded necklace at the throat. Akuaba means Akua's child. The name comes from an Akan account of a woman called Akua who could not conceive, was advised at a shrine to have a small figure carved and to carry and care for it as a child, and who later gave birth. Her neighbours are said to have greeted the baby as Akua's child, and the figures have carried the name since. They stand for motherhood, for healthy children and for a family line continuing. The carving follows the conventions rather than inventing them. The head is the flat disc that most people picture when they think of an akuaba, the forehead is high, which is read as wisdom, and the neck and body are ringed, which is read as health and wellbeing. The face is small and still against the size of the head, which is the whole effect of the form. Akuaba are carved by Akan peoples across Ghana, the Asante and the Fante among them. This gallery works from Cape Coast, which is in Fante country. It stands on its own base. The maker gives the size as 25 by 10cm. This is sold as a carved figure and a piece of Akan art. It is hand carved from a natural material, so the grain and the finish differ from one to the next, and the beaded necklace is strung separately and sits loose at the throat. Dust it with a dry soft cloth and keep it out of direct sun.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
African products
A hand carved wooden wall mask, 38cm tall, with long hooded eyes cut in fine vertical lines, ears carved at the sides and a combed band across the hairline. The maker named it The Observer, for the wisdom that comes of watching before acting and listening before speaking. The carving carries it: the eyes are the deepest cut part of the piece, the lids heavy over them, and the ears are set proud of the face. The ears are what separate it from the rest of her masks. Neither The Enlightened One nor Prosperity has them, and on a face this long they change what the piece is doing, from a face being looked at to a face that is listening back. This is also the smallest of the three at 38cm, and the greyest, closer to weathered driftwood than to the warm brown of The Enlightened One or the dark stain of Prosperity. Pick by wall and by scale. The Observer suits a narrow space, a hallway or the wall beside a door, where a larger mask would crowd it. The maker gives the size as 38 by 15cm. Every mask is carved by hand from a natural material, so the grain, the colour and the depth of the cut differ from piece to piece and yours will not match the photograph exactly. Dust it with a dry soft cloth, and keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, which move and split wood over time.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Crafts
A small handmade Ghanaian djembe drum, 24cm tall with a 15cm drumhead. The carved wooden body carries a hand carved lion motif around the base, the bowl is wrapped in Kente patterned cloth, and the natural animal skin head is tensioned with traditional cord lacing, with a braided cord loop for hanging. It is made for light drumming, cultural displays, gifts and African inspired decor rather than performance volume. Handmade in Nsawam, Ghana by Ancient Culture, so every drum is cut, carved and skinned by hand and no two are identical. A lovely first drum for a child, a desk piece for an office, or a gift that carries a story.
Sold by Unite Root Africa • Ghana
African products
A pair of hand carved wall masks, one male and one female, in sese wood with a dark brown finish, each about 46cm tall and sold together as a set of two. The female mask wears carved plaits falling either side of a ringed neck. The male has ears and a long carved beard. Both have slatted eyes cut right through the wood and a crest running over the crown, and on each forehead and cheek sits a panel with a punched, dotted border in copper and silver tones. The finish is rubbed back to show paler wood on the raised edges. The maker carved them as a pair to speak of complementarity: strength, protection and action in the masculine figure, nurture, wisdom and creativity in the feminine, and the idea that neither stands complete on its own. Displayed side by side they read as one piece, which is why they are sold together. If you want a single mask for a narrow wall, the same store's Prosperity mask is carved in the same wood. Each mask measures about 45.7 x 15.2cm (18 x 6in). Keep them out of direct sun and away from damp, and dust with a dry, soft cloth.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Crafts
A set of six small carved wooden bowls with fitted lids, handmade in Ghana. Each bowl stands about 7cm high and 13cm across, and each is finished in its own colourway with hand carved decoration, from an elephant to Kente inspired patterns, so the set brings a shelf to life as much as it organises one. Use them for shea butter, spices and dawadawa, nuts and dried foods, fruits and small snacks, or jewellery and other small personal items. They are carved by Ancient Culture in Nsawam, Ghana, and the natural wood grain shows through the painted finishes, giving every bowl its own character. Because each piece is individually handmade, slight variations in wood grain, colour, shape and finish may occur, and the set you receive may differ a little from the one photographed.
Sold by Unite Root Africa • Ghana
African products
A hand carved wooden wall mask in dark stained sese wood, 45cm tall, with closed eyes, a small carved head at the crown and patterned metal panels set into the brow and cheeks. The maker named it Intuition, for the kind of knowing that does not come through the eyes, and the carving is built around that idea. The eyelids are carved heavy and shut, the mouth is closed, and the whole face is long, narrow and still. In the maker's own words, when the eyes are silent, the spirit can see. What sets it apart from the gallery's other masks is the metal. Two triangles sit above the brows and two curved panels sit under the eyes, each worked with a fine pattern in gold and copper tones, and against the dark wood they catch the light while the carved face stays in shadow. If you want the same long face and carved crown without the metal, the Prosperity mask is the plainer sibling. If your wall is dark, the pale Enlightened One mask will stand out better. It is made to hang and suits a living room, an office, a hallway or a gallery wall, anywhere with enough plain space around it to be looked at properly. The maker gives the size as 45 by 15cm, about 18 by 6 inches. Every mask is carved by hand from a natural material, so the grain, the colour, the depth of the cut and the pattern on the metal differ from one piece to the next and yours will not match the photograph exactly. Dust it with a dry soft cloth, and keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, which move and split wood over time.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Crafts
A pair of teardrop wooden earrings, each face hand drawn with a band of African geometric pattern and hung from a small white faceted bead. Light enough for all day wear. The pattern is worked freehand across the lower half of each drop, rows of circles, arcs and dashes, so the two earrings in a pair sit close but never match exactly and no two pairs are the same. The wood keeps its grain under a warm reddish finish. Each drop hangs from a wire wrapped loop on a silver tone fish hook. Handmade in Kenya. Keep them dry and wipe with a soft cloth.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
African products
A large hand carved wooden wall mask in warm red brown, 46 by 28 cm. The face is a single broad oval with a high carved brow, narrow pierced eyes and an open diamond mouth, finished in warm red brown with darker tones across the cheeks and crown. Carved from wood in Ghana, it hangs flat against the wall and reads clearly from across a room, which makes it a natural anchor for a hallway or a living room wall. It is the broadest mask in this shop's range: if you want a slimmer upright profile to hang beside it, see the shop's Intuition and Observer wall masks.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
African products
A hand carved wooden wall mask in pale sese wood, 45cm tall, with a hatched band across the crown and punched dot work over the brows and cheeks. The maker named it The Enlightened One, for the pursuit of understanding and the quiet that comes with it, and the carving is worked to match. The face is long and narrow, the expression still, and the eyes are cut right through the wood so the wall behind shows at the pupils. In her own words, look beyond the face and discover the wisdom within. The wood is the thing to notice. Sese is pale when it is left alone, and most carvers stain it dark, which is what the maker has done on her Prosperity mask. This one is left close to its natural colour, so the punched dot work reads as texture rather than shadow and the piece sits better against a dark wall or dark furniture than its stained sibling does. If your wall is pale, the Prosperity mask is the one to look at instead. It is made to hang, and it is photographed hanging. It suits a living room, an office, a hallway or a gallery wall, anywhere it has enough plain space around it to be looked at properly. The maker gives the size as 45 by 15cm, about 18 by 6 inches. Every mask is carved by hand from a natural material, so the grain, the colour and the depth of the cut differ from one piece to the next and yours will not match the photograph exactly. Dust it with a dry soft cloth, and keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, which move and split wood over time.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
African products
A hand carved wall mask in sese wood, about 45cm tall, with an elongated face, gently closed eyes and a small carved head rising from the crown. Carved scrolls rise over the brow, the hair is cut in fine grooves back from the forehead, and the small head above it wears its own tall ridged crest, which gives the mask its height and its presence. The finish is a deep, polished brown. The maker named it Prosperity for a life rich in more than money: wisdom, inner peace, growth, good fortune and the strength to move forward. The calm, closed eyed face is meant as a reminder that prosperity begins within and grows through purpose, patience and good relationships. If you would rather hang two pieces together, the same store's Male and Female pair is carved in the same wood. Each mask is carved individually, so the grain, the carving marks and small details will differ from the one pictured. It measures 45 x 15cm (about 18 x 6in). Keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, and dust with a dry, soft cloth.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Home Decor
A small hand carved wooden spoon with a black and white batik bone handle. The pale wooden bowl and stem are smoothly carved, and the end of the handle is sleeved in bone dyed black with a white zigzag pattern, the Kenyan batik bone technique. A size for sugar, spices, salt or a jar of honey. Hand carved in Kenya. About 18 cm long.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Arts
A hand carved abstract sculpture in mahogany, a single twisting form on a turned black base, about 33cm tall and finished clear over the grain. One piece only. The artist has titled it Transformation. In his own words it stands for the power of process when it is under the right influence, which is easy to see in the object: the wood is cut away until a solid block reads as something in motion, with the opening carved right through the centre so the light passes behind it. The twist is worked in one piece, so the grain runs continuously from the foot to the tip and the figure of the timber does the work that paint would do on a canvas. Mahogany is a close grained hardwood that takes a fine edge, which is what lets the carver leave the surface smooth enough to hold a gloss without losing the facets where the chisel turned. It is a free standing piece, not a wall work, so it needs a surface it can be walked around: a hall table, a mantelpiece, a shelf with some depth, or a desk. At 33cm it reads from across a room but does not take over a small one. The maker gives the size as 13 by 5 by 4 inches, which is about 33 by 13 by 10cm including the base. Care: dust it with a dry, soft cloth, keep it out of direct sunlight and away from a radiator, since heat and dry air are what split carved hardwood over time.
Sold by Repolly art • Nigeria
Home Decor
A hand carved wooden butter knife shaped like a giraffe, its head forming the end of the handle. The pale wooden blade is smooth and flat for spreading, and the handle is carved as a giraffe's neck and head, marked with brown giraffe spots and a dark nose. Use it for butter, jam or soft cheese at breakfast, or give it as a small gift. Hand carved in Kenya. About 16 x 2.5 cm.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
African products
A pair of hand carved wooden wall masks, one male and one female, in a dark wood finish. Both faces are long and calm, with closed almond eyes, a fine ridged brow and a straight narrow nose, tapering to a point at the chin. The male mask has close cut hair carved in small notches. The female mask wears her hair high in a crest topped with a round knot, with carved ear ornaments at each side. Hung together they read as a couple, a quiet, balanced pair for a hallway, living room or office wall. The seller gives the size as 40.6 x 10.2 cm (16 x 4 in). Carved from wood by hand in Ghana. Dust with a dry cloth.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
African products
A long hand carved wooden wall mask with wave carved hair and gold coloured metal inlay. Deep wavy lines sweep down either side of a smooth domed forehead, which carries a diamond of embossed gold coloured metal. Beneath it, narrow eyes sit under carved brows, the cheeks are panelled in patterned metal, and the face narrows to a pointed chin. The seller calls it The Observer, for the watchful, quiet look of the face. The seller gives the size as 45.7 x 17.8 cm (18 x 7 in). Carved from wood by hand in Ghana. Dust with a dry cloth and keep the metal dry.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Crafts
A hand carved wooden elephant with a polished, reddish brown finish. The elephant stands mid stride with its trunk hanging low, the ears carved in deep sweeping lines and the trunk cut with rows of small ridges. The tail curves away from the body as a separate loop of wood, and each foot is finished with carved toe detail. The figure is carved from a single piece of wood, and the grain runs in bands across the back and flanks, so the wood itself does much of the decorating. It suits a shelf, a desk or a mantelpiece, and makes a good gift for anyone who loves elephants or Kenyan craft. Care: dust with a soft dry cloth. Keep out of direct sun and away from damp, and do not soak or wash.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Crafts
A live edge wooden stool that doubles as a small side table. The top is a single slab of solid wood that keeps the natural outline of the tree, with its grain, a knot and the uneven edge left on show. It stands on three branch legs, braced by sawn wooden rails fixed with wooden pegs. The seller finishes it with natural oil, wax, varnish and a clear protective coating. Use it as a stool, a bedside table, a plant stand or a side table beside the sofa. The seller gives its size as 50 x 45 x 40 cm. Because every top is cut from its own piece of timber, the stool you receive will differ in outline and grain from the one photographed.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Guide d'achat
Les sculptures présentées ici sont faites à la main, pour la plupart au Ghana en bois de sese : masques muraux d'environ 38 à 45 cm de haut, un couple de masques masculin et féminin, et une figurine Akuaba, la poupée akan à tête plate traditionnellement associée à la fertilité. On y trouve aussi une sculpture abstraite en acajou du Nigeria.
Chaque masque est sculpté individuellement : le visage, la finition et le grain du bois sont propres à chaque pièce. Une même forme en bois clair ou teinté foncé rend très différemment au mur, choisissez donc la finition qui convient à votre pièce. Vérifiez la hauteur sur chaque annonce et laissez de l'espace autour d'un masque pour qu'il s'affirme comme une pièce forte.
Le bois réagit à son environnement. Tenez les sculptures à l'écart des radiateurs et du soleil direct, qui peuvent dessécher et fendre le bois, et dépoussiérez-les avec une brosse douce et sèche. Chaque produit est examiné avant sa mise en ligne, et les commandes sont expédiées dans le monde entier.
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Questions fréquentes
Sokofa (sokofa.com) vend des masques muraux et des sculptures africaines sculptés à la main directement par les sculpteurs, surtout des masques en bois de sese et des figurines Akuaba du Ghana, ainsi qu'une sculpture en acajou du Nigeria. Les commandes sont expédiées dans le monde entier.
L'Akuaba est une figurine sculptée du peuple akan du Ghana, à la grande tête plate en forme de disque. Elle est traditionnellement associée à la fertilité et à l'espoir d'un enfant en bonne santé, et se collectionne aujourd'hui aussi comme sculpture.
Accrochez-le loin des radiateurs et du soleil direct, dépoussiérez-le avec une brosse douce et sèche, et évitez l'eau et les produits ménagers en spray. Si le bois paraît sec au bout de quelques années, un peu de cire pour meubles ravive la finition.
