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.

It’s auction No 100 at ethnographica specialist saleroom
27 March 2023Zemanek-Münster in Würzburg is holding its 100th auction on April 15 and has taken in some impressive pieces for the landmark

Celebrity lawyer collection brings fame and fortune
20 March 2023The new season got off to an encouraging start for Cologne auction house Lempertz (26% buyer’s premium) when it held an African and Oceanic art sale on February 1 in Brussels

Tangible rewards in tough times
14 November 2022UK auctioneer hails successful sale offering attractive investments to buyers worldwide

Join the Oceanic collecting club
29 August 2022A selection of Oceanic hardwood clubs and shields has come for sale at Sworders in Essex on November 9-10 as part of the auction of objects from the collection of dealer Jan Ellen Finch (1952-2021) of Finch & Co.

Tribal art: Worlds of opportunity in Paris
29 August 2022International array of visitors will be strolling the streets during the Parcours des Mondes to peruse and buy tribal art

Shield buyer parries rival bidders
29 August 2022Aboriginal shields come in two basic types: broad shields used for deflecting projectiles and the narrow, compact parrying shields used in close contact fighting.

Fresh wave of demand on the cards
08 August 2022Overseas interest in tribal art and Doulton Lambeth wares fuelled the higher prices at Cuttlestones’ (20% buyer’s premium) Penkridge sale but it was a new outbreak of cardomania which raised temperatures of collectors across England.

Pick of the week: Buyer hooked by Fijian whale ivory rarity
16 May 2022Sperm whale teeth, acquired from mammals that had beached on local reefs, had a deep significance to Fijian society.

Museums target Cook discoveries at Sloane Street Auctions
18 April 2022A previously unrecorded family archive relating to Richard Grindall (1751-1820), an able seaman aboard Cook’s Second Voyage, surfaced for sale in London last week with spectacular results.

The man behind the tribal mask
04 April 2022Fang secret society relic comes with long provenance to French colonial governor

Fang mask helps if you want to keep a secret
07 February 2022A striking and well-provenanced example of an African mask from the Fang peoples of Gabon is to appear at an auction in the south of France on March 26.

Tribal clubs worth £40,000 amused teenagers as playthings
10 January 2022“The owner had no idea what they were or what they might be worth. Not a Scooby.”

Join the tribe
27 October 2021Non-European ethnographic art is a one of the new categories at Fine Arts Paris, represented by Patrick and Ondine Mesdagh from Brussels who will be showing a selection of pieces from four continents.

Maori pendant boosted by fine notable provenance
18 October 2021A Maori hei-tiki pendant offered in Cheltenham on September 16 had an old paper label verso stating that it originally belonged to Makoare Te Taonui.

Standing figure makes bidders sit up and take note
27 September 2021A rare standing figure from the Yuat River area of Papua New Guinea was the star of the show at a Brussels auction.

5 Questions: Ethnographic art dealer Kenn Mackay
13 September 2021Dealer and collector Kenn Mackay developed an interest in ethnographic art during his travels in the early 1980s.

Sensational Tannoy speaker emerges in a sleeper trio in Dorset
30 August 2021Only a handful of companies have created products with sufficient impact that their brand names become generic descriptions for objects of their type.

Paris auction sets record for a tribal art collection result
12 July 2021The sale of Michel Périnet’s collection of tribal art at Christie’s in Paris on June 23 real ised a remarkable €66m/£57m (including buyer’s premium) and every one of the 61 lots were sold.

Tribal highlights: mask and figure at Woolley & Wallis
28 June 2021The best-performing lots in the tribal art sale at Woolley & Wallis (25% buyer’s premium) in Salisbury on June 8 were these two pieces: an Ibibio mask (idiok ekpo) sold at £30,000 and a Nicobar standing male figure (kareau) that brought £34,000.

Top-selling Nigerian mask stars in our pick of five auction highlights sold this week
11 June 2021ATG’s weekly selection of items that caught bidders’ eyes includes a rare Ibibio mask from the Niger Delta that made over 35-times estimate in Salisbury.

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