Tribal Art Sale at Bonhams

Bonhams will present nearly 200 lots of Africa, Oceanic & Pre-Columbian Art on May 15 in New York. Amongst the highlights of the sale will be an important wooden Maori hand club, or wahaika, exquisite ceremonial paddles from the Austral Islands, and three exceptional works from the collection of Marcia and John Friede, New York, including an early and large Iatmul female figure from the Middle Sepik River Region of Papua New Guinea, estimated at $40,000-60,000. The preview for the auction will take place May 11-14 at Bonhams New York.

View the online catalogue.

Warrior figure with trophy head  -  Costa Rica

Hand club, wahaika  -  Maori, New Zealand

Male figure  -  Sawos, Papua New Guinea

Images courtesy of Bonhams

African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art at Sotheby's

Sotheby's presented an exquisite sale of tribal art from Africa, Oceania, and the pre-Columbian Americas today in New York. A selection of the sale's highlights, noted below, includes an Eket Ogbom headdress, Olmec seated figure, Lega ivory figurine, Mambila female ancestor figure, and more. For full sale details, visit the Sotheby's website.

Ogbom headdress  -  Eket, Nigeria  -  

Statue of a heroine  -  Astrolabe Bay, Papua New Guinea 

Reliquary figure  -  Kota, Gabon

Seated figure  -  Olmec, Mexico

Ivory figurine  -  Lega, DR Congo

Ceramic figure  -  Chupicuaro, Mexico

Female ancestor figure  -  Mambila, Cameroon

Images courtesy of Sotheby's