The live sale on June 13 marks the auction house’s first section devoted to tribal art with a selection of more than 100 lots.
“We have been including some tribal art and travel-related items in several of our past sales but, having realised that they are quite popular with our regular buyers, we thought we would make a bit more of a feature of it,” says the firm’s Rupert van der Werff.
With many lots estimated at under £500, he reckons the June auction will be ideal for first-time buyers in this area.
A large slice of the tribal selection comprises a 56-lot collection of works from the Sepik river area of Papua New Guinea assembled in the mid-20th century, by repute by a missionary stationed there before and after the Second World War. It includes this rattan and palm leaf canoe shield, above, which stands 4ft 1in (1.25m) high and is guided at £300-500.
