Antique? or Vintage? African Wood Carving

Hi!....This is a beautiful African wood carving that I found while Thrifting at the Antique store for not much at all...it's approx 9.75 in ht x 3 in wth....the wood is dark, rich and smooth to the touch....there is a piece of news paper on the bottom in Dutch, German, Norwegian with references to a museum showing of African Art from Tanzania or the Mozambique.... that's all I know....if someone knows how old this carving is...that would be great!

 

the date is kinda written there.............

 

I think this is it.

Makonde Tanzania Tree of Life
https://www.objectlessons.org/cerem...konde-tree-of-life-carving-tanzania/s78/a323/

Image search:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=African+carving+makonde+tree+of+Life&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

 

I can make out a few words ...its similar to the english language....so that is probably the date of the article announcing a exhibit....but that may not be the date that the carving was actually created...so the date of the carving could be earlier than August 1990

 

....but vintage is fine...thats 30yrs...or so

 

oh ,yes of course......except for the 1st word in the article.....
which says Moderne,,,which means Modern.....as in Modern works of Art !!

but the label...could have nothing to do with the carving, which could be late 1800's ...and placed there to hide the true nature of the carving.......

anything is possible,,,...!

 

Google translate German to English ...
Modern ebony sculptures by Makonde from Tanzania and Mozambique can be seen from September 2 to October 21 in an exhibition in the Roller factory in Waiblingen. The presentation of lectures, guided tours and people informing the continent of Africa will be accompanied.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makonde_people#:~:text=The Makonde are an ethnic,a small presence in Kenya.

 

so the date of the carving could be earlier than August 1990.....

fer sure......

JUNE 1990....!!!!

 

Maybe difficult to ever know without a date on the carving itself (Wonder it there’s a signature or something under that sticker,but probably not) Anyway so it may not be THAT old or even be proper vintage (who knows) But we know it has some age and was definitely not carved yesterday. It’s still a cool and intriguing carving that represents something and tells a story.

 

Better to stick with facts at hand. One's imagination can take you almost anywhere. That said, there is a really good chance that the tree this piece is carved from was very old. So you could say it was made way before 1990

...sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

that would make a gold ring.........any gold ring..........150,000 years old..

 

I have no idea if this might help, but I've lightened the first pic up so some details are easier to see.

 

150,000............ ha, my wife has a prehistoric wedding ring.

 

Yes....I also saw the word modern....and I am aware of what that implies....I adore the sculpture/wood carving....I think its absolutely beautiful!.... its a gift for my son who will love it also...the fact that it is vintage is great!....and if its any older than that it would be a bonus....and if I want to know for certain I will have it appraised

 

well I don't speak German....but I figured out what it said by reading it several times....its nice to know that I read it correctly

 

Thanks for that..

 

Here's what got me started in reading German.

 

It was probably brand new when it was sold, and it is not pretending to be anything other than a new carving.
We would all love our finds to be antique or have an amazing history. But the truth is, most items are just what they are, attractive enough for us to buy them.

If you want an interesting background, it is Julius Nyerere's concept of Ujamaa, socio-political and economic cohesion starting at a village level, which is what this carving symbolizes. That is enough imo. That is why the proper name of these carvings is Ujamaa carving. Ujamaa means extended family or inter-relatedness in Swahili, but the carvings symbolize Nyerere's ideological vision.