Metal Tribal Art

Early to mid-20th century silver repoussé bracelet, China A beautifully made silver repoussé bracelet from China, with the Shòu symbol for long life...

An exceptionally large Akha Tribe woven silver bracelet with spiral design. This Tribal bracelet encompasses tradition Hill tribe silversmithing techniques ...

Vintage Moroccan Berber tribal bracelet from the High Atlas of Morocco. Handcrafted by Berber women using Moroccan silver nickel. The...

Nice Vintage Asian Indian ethnic Tibetan Silver coral Necklace Ladakh Typical Ladakh ethnic Himalayan Tibetan Traditional necklace 850 grade silver with coral beads Conditi...

19th to early 20th century Iron hook and snare, Nepal A rare, esoteric device used by Buddhist Tantric practitioners in Tibet and Nepal as a method of controlling events. These powe...

This would make a unique side table or stand. 1950s Asian Tang horse drum with a skin top. Hand caved & painted details all the way around with 3 brass ring handles as well as na...

A Fine and Rare Shona Knife and Sheath Wood, steel, copper Fine colour and patina Zimabawe / Africa 19th Century Size: 48cm long - 19 ins long (with scabbard) 42.5cm l...

Marroquin forged steel dagger with sheath. Beautiful koummya dagger with a sheath from the region of Morocco, circa 1870. The blade was created with forged steel, mounted in wood an...

Ashanti cast bronze ceremonial staff top in the shape of a hoe with 3 cast turtles, from Ghana. It is in good condition with a deep patina and polish from traditional use, appropria...

This magnificent gold bracelet was made for Ashanti royalty. The Ashanti Kingdom's wealth was significantly based on gold-mining and trading in gold, as well as agriculture. The ki...

Tribal Bronze Purse, Bag West Africa early-mid 20th century. leather and shell details.

A fine a rare Japanese box masterly woven in copper, the box with lid and handles dates to 19th century Meiji Period, and it imitates the Ikebana bamboo basketry style Height 17...

Forged iron currency, Chamba people, Northeastern Nigeria A piece of traditional currency used for barter or exchange, it measures 15 inches (38 cm) high by 18 inches (45.7 cm) wide...

Ceremonial comb, Luba People, Zaire, D. R. Congo Made of palm leaf midribs, this large, graphic comb has a pinched waist and is held together with finely wrapped wire. Presented o...

Vintage Asian Indian Silver Bracelet Beautiful cuff bracelet with pierced and pearl shaped edge design High grade silver Width 4 cm weight ...

Akan Ashanti cast bronze figurine. The Ashanti or Asante People from Ghana have a rich tradition of crafting bronze pieces to commemorate important figures from their culture or peop...

Akan Ashanti cast bronze figurine. The Ashanti or Asante People from Ghana have a rich tradition of crafting bronze pieces to commemorate important figures from their culture or peop...

Vintage Ethnic Himalayan Turquoise Coral Necklace A beautiful necklace of large Tibetan Turquoise beads interspersed with natural red coral beads with silver clasp Period 2nd half ...

A pair of West African incised iron and copper wire axe form currency pieces. On custom mounts. In the form of a ritual axe, which in many parts of Africa was carried over the shoul...

Fine rare Antique Indian Hindu Mughal style Jade bracelet Period early 20th century Fine quality celadon type jade decorated with silver and semi precious stones Condition: Fine...

A Benin bronze of an Oba. Oba means ruler in the Yoruba language. Wearing a lattice-pattern cap with strands of beads suspended around the head. The neck is bound with a lattice-patt...

A beautiful bronze vessel, lidded ovoid pot on a circular support, made by the Asante People, Ghana. Nicely cast lid with 7 figures in the form of animals and reptiles are depicted o...

19th century brass pendant on yellow multi-strand beaded necklace, Naga, India A graceful necklace of small yellow glass trade beads bead...

Exceptional African Currency Object in Patinated Metal, Congo from around 1970, the metal has a beautiful Green colored patina and shine and has the correct signs and marks of use a...

Pair of Bronze & Iron Ogboni Society staffs from the Yoruba People, Nigeria, early 20th century. Among the Yoruba, in southwestern Nigeria, there was and still is the Ogboni secret s...

Early 20th-century brass or copper alloy with higher nickel content. Bracelet in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Turned design with rectangular shapes and carved swirling patterns...

A beautiful bronze vessel, lidded pot on three legs, made by the Asante People, Ghana. Nicely cast lid with 4 reptiles and a bird. Several faces are depicted on the side of the vesse...

Forged bronze headdress or kind of crown/tiara "God of Thunder" which was used for protection. The size is slightly changeable, as the headdress bronze band is open on one side. Yoru...

Intriguing cast bronze relief plaque from Benin, showing three guardians. The plaque was modeled after ancient Benin bronzes but was made in the 20th century. The plaque is cast in b...

19th-century bronze currency bangle / Manilla with a fixed opening. Minimalist, simple design work with engraved geometrical circles and lines. This type of bracelet was used and wor...

Late 19th or early 20th-century brass or copper alloy with higher nickel content. Bracelet in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Pierced design with rectangular shapes and carved swi...

Manillas are horse-shoe shaped, made of an open circle of bronze, brass, or copper with enlarged finial terminations. They were used as a currency in West African countries from the ...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirled rope work design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with geome...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical design with a lattice pattern. This type of bracelet was worn or used by the...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical design with lines and accent points on the top and at both tips. This type o...

Statues of Juju Man or shamans were used for ceremonies connected with religious beliefs and magical practices. The general understanding of their meaning as including a supernatural...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirl design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with 5 beads on each s...

19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Intricate graphical swirl design and tips are shaped with large flat ends with cross pattern des...

Early to mid-19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in circle form. Intricate graphical geometrical. This type of bracelet was worn/used by the Zaghawa People also called Bé...

Early to mid-19th-century bronze currency bracelet / Manilla in circle form. Intricate graphical geometrical. This type of bracelet was worn/used by the Zaghawa People also called Bé...

Bronze Dan (also called Yakuba) bell, Cote d'Ivoire, circa 1960s. This Dan bell is made from the lost-wax process. It has a looped handle and stylized designs on the bell and around ...

Early 20th-century brass currency bracelet / Manilla in horseshoe form with fixed opening. Hand-stamped and shaped graphical motives and the ti...

Wonderful object with arrow shaped blades. Beautiful decorative with complex and fascinating history; Iron currency tokens are among the most compelling and virtuosic of sub-Sahara...

Amazing and scarce JUDAICA object, we have here one of the most touching jewish objects we had for a long time, this small silver dowry box was made in Algeria in the early 19th century, it is all covered with symbols of jewish faith and of couples, the sliding lid has 2 flanking birds with hamsa (protective hand) on each side and a flower vase in the middle. one side shows two flanking lions with a tree in the middle and the other side shows again two big and two small birds with a flower bowl in the middle, front side has a key hole and next to it there is the Hebrew inscription ס״ט״" which says Siman tov or in English "a good sign" it is taken from the wedding blessing, underneath the lock there is another inscription with the name ״עזיזה בת אברהם בן חמו״ which is the name of the bride, her father and her grandfathers name. the box is full marked a lot of times with the silversmith mark, every side of the box is marked. this box was probably ordered by the grooms family to hold the jewelry they are giving to the bride as dowry, this type of objects are rare and there are just a few of them on museum collections. DOWRY (Heb. נְדֻנְיָה), the property a wife brings to her husband at marriage; the Yiddish equivalent, nadn, is from the same root. The custom of nedunyah became clearly defined and institutionalized only in the talmudic period. In biblical times, mohar (מֹהַר), whereby the groom bought his wife from her father (Gen. 24:53; Ex. 22:15–16; Hos. 3:2), was the accepted practice. It was then customary that the groom give the bride gifts, and that she bring certain property to her husband's home upon marriage: slaves, cattle, real estate, etc. (cf. Gen. 24:59–61; 29; Judg. 1:14ff.; I Kings 9:16). Evidence of the custom of nedunyah is to be found in Tobit (7:14; 8:21) and in the Assuan papyri (Cowley, Aramaic, nos. 15, 18). Gradually, mohar was superseded by the ketubbah custom according to which the husband merely assumed the responsibility of compensation to his wife in case he divorced her: he had to pay her 200 zuzim if she had been a virgin at the time of marriage, and 100 zuzim if a widow or divorcée (see *Ketubbah). By talmudic times, the institution of nedunyah was prevalent; the father gave a dowry to the bride since the daughter was excluded from paternal inheritance. Fifty zuzim (equivalent to the worth of 180 grams of silver) was the minimum amount a father was obliged to give to his daughter (Ket. 6:5). Parents usually gave much more, according to their social standing. Community funds provided the dowry for an orphan or a very poor girl (ibid.; cf. Sh. Ar., YD 251:8). In case of her father's death, the brothers of a minor girl were obliged to give her the minimum dowry, and the court estimated how much her father would have given her above the minimum dowry. The sum was then taken out of the father's estate and given to the daughter upon majority (Ket. 6:6; 68a–69b). In the absence of such an estimate, each daughter was entitled to receive one-tenth of the value of her father's estate in money, or in valuables (Yad, Ishut, 20:4–7; Sh. Ar., EH 113:4). If the father was unable or unwilling to pay the promised dowry at the betrothal ceremony, the groom could refuse to marry his bride (Ket. 13:5; Ket. 108b–109a). Insistence on exact payment of the promised dowry, however, was frowned upon by later rabbinic authorities (Rema to Sh. Ar., EH 2:1). In certain communities it was customary for the groom's father to make a dowry contribution equal to that of the bride's father (Ket. 102b). The dowry, whether given in real estate, slaves, money, or chattel was recorded in the marriage contract (the ketubbah) and in some instances one-third or one-fifth of the actual value of the dowry was added to the sum mentioned in the ketubbah. Based upon a decree enacted by *Simeon b. Shetah (first century C.E.), the Talmud ruled that the husband and his entire property were liable for compensation as stipulated in the ketubbah, either in case he died (when she collected the sum specified in the ketubbah from the heirs) or in case he divorced his wife (Ket. 82b). For the status of the dowry and the husband's rights and obligations, see below. The rabbinic enactments (Takkanot Shum) by R. Jacob *Tam and by the rabbinic synod of the communities of Speyer, Worms, and Mainz (Germany) stipulated that if a woman died...

Mid-20th Century Moroccan Silver Charm earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with rare silver charms from the Ida ou Nadif people living in the ...

Topoke, DR Congo, Africa Iron Early 20th century 36 x 6 in. / 91 x 15 cm. Height on custom display stand: 38.25 in. / 97 cm. These big iron spear points were made by groups livi...

Chamba, Nigeria, Africa Iron Early 20th century 14.5 x 7 in. / 37 x 18 cm Height on custom display stand: 16.5 in. / 42 cm Various models of these original currency bearers were...

Miao Tribe Interlaced & Massed Rings Silver Pectoral Necklace Miao Tribe, Northern Vietnam, Laos & Southwest China, Mid 20th Century An exquisite Miao Tribe Interlaced & Massed Ri...

Mumuye, Nigeria Iron 22.75 x 5 in. / 28 x 13 cm Height on custom display stand: 24.5 in. / 62 cm

Mid-20th Century Silver Khamsa and Copper Earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with rural Moroccan village pendants with three small khamsas, h...

African door in carved wood and bronze of chief Baboun, Cameroon, early 20th century Art Baboun, Cameroon, early 20th century. Unique and rare object. C...

An early 20th-century ceremonial chief's coat from Africa represents a magnificent display of cultural heritage and craftsmanship. These coats hold deep significance, symbolizing pow...

19th Century Bronze Coin with Silver Bezel Earrings by Jewels of Santa Fe/Marrakesh A pair of earrings made by Jewels with bronze coins from Morocco and Egypt set in silver bezels a...

18th Century Bronze Palanquin Leopard Finials An intriguing pair of 18th-century Bronze Palanquin Leopard Finials, exquisite artifacts that represent the opulence and cultural herit...

A Beautiful Vintage Chinese Ethnic silver enamel and coral dragon bracelet Hand crafted silver with colourful enamel and natural real red c...

A Rare and Historically Important Artefact Recovered from HMS Adventure in 1775 after Captain James Cook’s Second Voyage to the Pacific A ‘coconut husker’ made by a ship’s carpenter aboard HMS Adventure in the style and design of a Native Islander’s ethnographical ‘coconut husker’ An engraved and inscribed copper plaque: A memento from The Sandwich Islands Coconut Husker used aboard HMS Adventure and recovered from The Royal Dockyard Deptford 1775 Oak, iron, brass, copper, handmade iron screws Fine rich colour and patina England / Sandwich Island 18th Century SIZE: 15.5cm high, 49.5cm long, 20cm wide (max) - 6¹⁄₈ ins high, 19½ ins long, 7⁷⁄₈ ins wide (max) Provenance: Found in a Scottish attic after centuries of lying hidden in a crate Ex Private Scottish collection Captain James Cook’s second voyage aboard the Resolution and accompanied by HMS Adventure set sail in July 1772. The discovery of the southern eight islands of the Sandwich Islands group was in 1775. The given name was chosen in honour of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty. The copper plaque and inscription however should not be read as The Sandwich Islands ‘Owhyhee’ (The Hawaiian Islands) which were later discovered on January 18th, 1778, on Captain Cook’s third voyage. Rather the inscription refers to ‘South Sandwich Islands’ lying to the south east of South Georgia and only renamed later with the word ‘South’ to distinguish them from the ‘Sandwich Islands’ now known as the Hawaiian Islands. Not withstanding during Cook’s second voyage he visited Easter Island, Tahiti, Society Islands, Niue, Tonga, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Norfolk Islands, Palmerston Island and South Georgia. The crew onboard having been exposed to various types of ‘coconut huskers’ adapted those designs into the example we now see, having been rescued from HMS Adventure in 1775. A rare example of 18th century cross...

A fine Chinese Ethnic Minority antique turquoise jade coral silver necklace from Bai people Yunnan. Coral silver turquoise and malachite with rare central carved lattice work jade b...

Early 20th Century Brass & Iron Jeweler's Torch, Karnataka, South India Experience the history and craftsmanship of South India with this early 20th Century brass & iron jeweler's t...