Ethnographica & Tribal Art
This category comprises artefacts and works of art made by indigenous peoples.
It began as a collecting area when anthropologists began acquiring and studying these items in the 19th century. Nowadays works are valued for their craftsmanship and decorative quality as well as for their historical and social interest.
The geographical spread in this sector ranges from Oceanic (Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand), African, Native American and South American art. Pre-Columbian works represent a sought-after sector – art from the Americas dating from before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.
![img_45-1.jpg](/media/106729/img_45-1.jpg?rxy=0.46608695652173915,0.21778350515463918&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133692347880000000)
Surrealism and tribal in tandem
27 August 2024Themed exhibitions at this year’s Parcours des Mondes link ethnographic art with Surrealist movement
![img_15-1.jpg](/media/104920/img_15-1.jpg?rxy=0.47333333333333333,0.27962085308056872&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133649098850000000)
Join the club for tribal art fans
08 July 2024Late last year auctioneer and valuer Mark Huddleston received three images of a chief’s staff or pole club along with an ‘is this worth anything’ enquiry. The vendor had inherited it from his family who (by repute) had done Presbyterian missionary work in Polynesia in the 19th century.
![Austral Islands ceremonial kava ladle](/media/102403/img_8-1.jpg?rxy=0.37043795620437958,0.770764119601329&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133582587960000000)
Pick of the week: The scoop on an Austral Islands kava ladle found in Derbyshire
22 April 2024A Polynesian ladle surfaced in a Derbyshire saleroom, selling for nearly five-times its £500-700 estimate.
![img_39-5.jpg](/media/102333/img_39-5.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133582544890000000)
Five questions with tribal art specialist Ian Shaw
22 April 2024Ian Shaw is a specialist in tribal art and his recent projects include enhancing the gallery room of his Glasgow premises.
![img_35-3.jpg](/media/102128/img_35-3.jpg?rxy=0.55351681957186549,0.2360248447204969&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133576473300000000)
Tribal fair unveils its online version
15 April 2024An early 20th century carving by Lagos pastor and artist Thomas Ona of a district commissioner is among the works available at this month’s Tribal Art Fair online.
![Fang reliquary head](/media/101124/fang-reliquary-head-2635ne-14-03-2024.jpg?rxy=0.32495164410058025,0.44992743105950656&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133548114000000000)
New benchmark for tribal art as Fang head makes €12.6m at Christie’s
14 March 2024A new record for African or Oceanic tribal art was set at Christie’s in Paris as part of the sale of the remarkable Barbier-Mueller collection.
![img_42-4.jpg](/media/100585/img_42-4.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133532468520000000)
Tribal mask with mystery purpose
26 February 2024Cologne auction house Lempertz (25% buyer’s premium) opened its auction year with a sale of African and Oceanic works of art in Brussels.
![img_41-1.jpg](/media/100351/img_41-1.jpg?rxy=0.51515151515151514,0.65565565565565564&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133528166760000000)
Paris sale celebrates tribal art from the Barbier-Mueller collecting dynasty
19 February 2024The Barbier-Mueller family is well known as a collecting dynasty, especially for its ethnographic art.
![Tribal art](/media/100185/stolen-tribal-art-1.png?rxy=0.47524752475247523,0.21753246753246752&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133523112160000000)
Plea to recover huge collection of stolen tribal art
14 February 2024Around 50 works of tribal art have been stolen in Belgium.
![img_24-4.jpg](/media/99810/img_24-4.jpg?rxy=0.46985815602836878,0.44359464627151052&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133516010110000000)
Native American mask makes 140 times the top guide
05 February 2024A 19th century Native American wolf mask, once used in religious ceremonies on the Northwest coast, emerged from the obscurity of a £50-100 estimate to bring £14,000 at auction in Hertfordshire.
![img_46-1.jpg](/media/99879/img_46-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133516017760000000)
Dealer Bruce Knight’s personal collecting taste was a cut above
05 February 2024An 18th century Native American trade axe pipe linked to the great Shawnee chief and warrior Tecumseh (1768-1813) was the runaway performer when the collection of Ohio dealer and entrepreneur Bruce Knight was dispersed in the first days of the New Year.
![Wolf mask](/media/99534/hanson-ross-haida-mask1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133506470100000000)
Rare Northwest coast shamanic mask prompts tribal gathering in Royston
25 January 2024A 19th century Native American wolf mask, once used in religious ceremonies on the Northwest coast, emerged from the obscurity of a £50-100 estimate to bring £14,000 at auction in Hertfordshire.
![img_42-1.jpg](/media/99034/img_42-1.jpg?rxy=0.54216867469879515,0.23185011709601874&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133491801580000000)
Figure that escaped destruction after use
08 January 2024Malagan figures played an integral and complex role in the rituals of the tribes of New Ireland, the north-eastern province of Papua New Guinea.
![img_41-1.jpg](/media/96442/img_41-1.jpg?rxy=0.51493848857644986,0.64402810304449654&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133419215340000000)
Cloves boat comes into view at Tribal Art Fair Amsterdam
16 October 2023A boat modelled out of cloves created in the Moluccan islands of Indonesia is among the highlights at 'Tribal Art Fair Amsterdam'.
![img_52-2.jpg](/media/95741/img_52-2.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133401128120000000)
Bear mask entranced medicine men
25 September 2023Items from the Robert and Nancy Nooter collection of ethnographic art come for sale at Ararity Auctions in Lorton, Virginia, on October 1.
![img_56-4.jpg](/media/95480/img_56-4.jpg?rxy=0.50100603621730377,0.72011661807580174&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133395105600000000)
Shell out for ornamental combs
18 September 2023Massive ornamental hair combs such as this are associated with the East Sumbanese people of modern Indonesia.
![img_50-2.jpg](/media/95469/img_50-2.jpg?rxy=0.37424547283702214,0.26265060240963856&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133395054420000000)
Battersea Decorative fair runs with a new tribal twist
18 September 2023The Decorative Fair returns from October 3-8 for its third and final staging of the year.
![img_40-1.jpg](/media/94793/img_40-1.jpg?rxy=0.63471971066907773,0.3368091762252346&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133376972730000000)
Young dealers given chance to shine at the Parcours des Mondes
28 August 2023Latest edition of the tribal art event in Paris now includes a special showcase for six new faces
![The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair](/media/93591/2601ne-the-decorative-fair-battersea.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133334537120000000)
Tribal art finds home at Battersea Decorative
10 July 2023Tribal Art London (TAL) is to take place in person this autumn thanks to the organisers of The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair stepping in with a venue.
![img_19-1.jpg](/media/93475/img_19-1.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=125&height=125&rnd=133334536360000000)
You’ve got the hook: Maori jewellery
10 July 2023The best-known type of Maori jewellery is the pounamu (greenstone) hei tiki pendants, the figural carvings representing ‘the first man’ that were typically worn by women.
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