Featured African bust.

Better carved than a great many.

 

Maasai? Maybe ebony wood?

 

Based on the hairstyle, it depicts a Maasai warrior, but it may not have been made by a Maasai carver. Several groups in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique) make tourist carvings, Makonde among the earliest (1930s on), with the Kamba, Kikuyu and Maasai beginning post WWII. Any might carve different tribal types popular with tourists. The wood is probably African Blackwood, (Dalbergia melanoxylon), which is in the Rosewood genus, rather than any of the woods now considered ebony, which are members of the Diospyros genus.

 

Good looking one! I have a hard time selling my good, relatively old African carvings for good money. My African stuff in general which I have a bunch of probably sells worse than anything else.

 

that market is flush with fakes and crappy tourist pieces that it's hard for decent items to get noticed.....or $$$

 

I hate to say it but this is true for me too.

 

Me three!!

 

It’s a shame particularly if you have good stuff which I imagine you do. Every once in a while I’ll have someone who collects something very specific find a piece of mine and buy it and comment on its quality which is nice. It’s not frequent though. The only pieces that have sold quick are touristy carvings of busty young women. Isn’t that odd? Oh and tourist quality masks that are still nice decor that I price cheaply. The more expensive old stuff not so much. I’m sure Komokwa is correct in his assessment.

I would think Davies piece would crossover to people that just want a neat piece of art, not just African/Maasai collectors. It could pass as a stylized punk rocker or hipster if you didn’t know any better.

 

I've said this before, but there's also some hesitance on younger people's part to purchase African (and Native American and other 'tribal') pieces because they've read online about older pieces having being looted or 'stolen' by white colonialists, etc. Some have never conceived of a 'tourist piece' and think everything is an ancient ceremonial artifact. I think this creates a small but significant disincentive for some people too.

 

By the way, the African bust at the start of this thread-- I like it! It's very expressive, esp from straight on.

 

He’s a keeper in my book. Personality!