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Barnebys HQ
Brahegatan 10
BOX 5038
114 37 Stockholm
All auctions / Ethnographic / Tanzanian Wood Nude Female Figure - Shell Eyes, Bead Necklace
East Africa, Tanzania, Nyamwezi/Sukuma peoples. A tall standing woman carved from a single length of hardwood, her elongated body reduced to essentials: columnar legs, a straight torso with small conical breasts, arms held close along the flanks, and a large ovoid head crowned by a smooth dome. Inlaid shell discs give the eyes a fixed, luminous stare, and further shell fragments stud the rims of both ears like a row of ornaments. A strand of glass and seed beads circles the deeply undercut neck, echoing the personal adornment of a living woman. Figures of this type served as ancestral presences within the homestead or the possession of a diviner, honoring a remembered forebear and standing as a vessel through which lineage authority and fertility could be addressed. The Nyamwezi and their northern neighbors the Sukuma occupy the plateau country south of Lake Victoria, and together form one of Tanzania's largest population groups. Their sculptural tradition favors monumental, attenuated human figures with schematic bodies and disproportionately large heads, a formal language quite distinct from the compact naturalism of coastal and Congolese carving. Such figures were kept by chiefs, healers, and heads of household, sometimes displayed at initiations or at the shrines where offerings were made to the dead. The addition of real ornament, beadwork at the throat and shell inlay at the eyes and ears, was not decorative caprice: dressing a figure was a way of animating it, marking the carving as a socially present being rather than an inert block of wood. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this piece. SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700. PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item # 203677
Estimate:$700
To the auctionView all items fromArtemis Fine ArtsorEthnographic
Estimate:
$700
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ROMAN HIGH KARAT GOLD RING WITH 'OMONOIA' INSCRIPTION AND PALM BRANCH
02/01/2026
$2,187.15
Est: $674.4
