Jacaranda Tribal Presenting at Parcours des Mondes 2012

In just over two weeks' time, Jacaranda Tribal will make its second appearance at the world's preeminent tribal art fair: Parcours des Mondes.  From September 11–16 we will be in the company of sixty-three distinguished international dealers of traditional arts from Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas, all based in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district of Paris.

Jacaranda will be presenting one of the few exhibits of fine antiquities from southeast Africa, including rare and important objects from Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, and South Africa.  Additional selections will represent cultures from West and Central Africa, Polynesia, and elsewhere.  Our presentation in 2011 was eagerly received by attendees, and we have assembled another excellent range of works for the eleventh edition of the fair that is sure to delight both connoisseurs of African art and collectors for whom the art of the region is virtually new.

Jacaranda Tribal will be installed at Galerie ESPACES 54, located at 54 rue Mazarine.  We welcome you to visit us during this very special time––to discover new and beautiful objects, and to share our appreciation of the world's indigenous art traditions.

www.JacarandaTribal.com

www.parcours-paris.eu

Four-legged vessel  -  Sotho, Lesotho  -  Early 20th century

www.JacarandaTribal.com

African Cosmos: Stellar Arts

African Cosmos: Stellar Arts will be on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African from June 20 through Dec. 9, 2012. This is the first major exhibition which explores the historical legacy of African cultural astronomy and its intersection with both traditional and contemporary African arts. The exhibition of some eighty objects considers the continent's long and rich history of astronomical observations and the ways that celestial bodies and phenomena serve as inspiration and symbol in the creation of African arts dating from ancient times to the present. The exhibition will demonstrate that observations of the heavens are part of the knowledge that informs the construction of social institutions, artistic expression and ritual practice in African cultures.

View the Smithsonian website.

Starkid, 2007  -  Owusu-Ankomah, Ghana

Zulu  -  Gavin Jantjes

Information and images courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

New Acquisitions at Jacaranda Tribal

A beautiful new group of African antiques is now available at Jacaranda Tribal. Ranging from snuff gourds to masks and implements of war, our diverse range of new acquisitions offer a wealth of gorgeous textures and forms from across the African continent. South African works predominate in the assemblage, joined by objects representing cultures from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, and the Congo. Seen below are a selection of this season's offerings. The full range of new acquisitions in on view at our website (link below).

Ibibio ekpo society mask

Nigeria - Early 20th century

Kota knife with sheath

 Congo - Late 19th or early 20th century

Shield

Ethiopia - 20th century

Ndebele fertility doll

South Africa - Early 20th century

Zulu beadwork panel

South Africa - Late 19th or early 20th century

Zulu beaded neckpiece

South Africa - Late 19th or early 20th century

Nyakusa pot

Tanzania or Zambia - 20th century

Visit us on the web for more details on our new acquisitions and much, much more.

Happy holidays!

Recent Acquisitions: Gertrude Hance Collection

We recently added some very unique new acquisitions to our website. Several of these were profiled in the March, 2009 Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles (E.A.C.) Newsletter "Tribal Soul, Modern Eye” such as the Zulu Prestige Vessel below, but we wanted to mention a few more of the highlights, including those from the Gertrude Hance collection.

Gertrude Rachel Hance served for many years as a Presbyterian missionary to the Zulu peoples in Natal, South Africa. Ms. Hance was born in 1844 in the small town of Brookdale, Pennsylvania. She travelled to South Africa with the American Zulu Mission when she was only 26 years old and remained until 1899. If you are interested in learning more about her travels and experience as an intrepid American missionary, Hance published a book in 1916 called The Zulu Yesterday and Today: Twenty-Nine Years in South Africa. The book is out of print but can be found at select libraries or online at AbeBooks.

Ms. Hance was an extraordinary woman and we have several select objects from her fine collection of material culture from the region such as these beautiful baskets and snuff containers illustrated below.

Stay tuned as we will be adding and exhibiting additional pieces from this collection over the coming months.

2008 San Francisco Tribal and Textile Arts Show

On Monday I returned to New York after a four day trip to San Francisco. The purpose of the trip was to attend the 2008 Tribal and Textile Arts Show.

The Gala Preview opening night of the show was well attended. Before the show, there was a certain amount of trepidation among the 108 dealers in attendance about the economy and the potential impact on the show. The fears generally turned out to be unfounded and most dealers reported doing respectable to good business.

As far as southeast African art, there was a fair amount of material to be seen. Patrick and Ondine Mestdagh had a number of good pieces including a large Swazi shield (pictured above) and a rhino horn club ex Bonhams (both sold). Tribal Gathering had a number of fine east African objects. Ben Hunter of Tribal Hunter had some Tsonga neckrests and Jean-Baptiste Bacquart of London had a fine old Shona/Tsonga neckrest. Clive Loveless (pictured top), as usual, had one of the most aesthetically pleasing booths with some very fine material from Rwanda and Uganda.


I also attended an event at the de Young Museum for dealers and lenders of Tribal art. John Friede gave a few remarks and then led an trip upstairs to discuss some of his pieces in the permanent collection. The museum is always a treat - lots of new pieces were on display including a great Lulua figure and a powerful and exceptionally rare Nukuoro figure loaned by Ed and Mina Smith.

All in all, it was a great trip and I look forward to returning next year.

Daniel
JacarandaTribal.com

Marc & Denyse Ginzberg auction at Sotheby's Paris - September 2007

On Monday September 10, 2007 the much anticipated sale of Marc & Denyse Ginzberg's African Art collection took place at Sotheby's Paris.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend but I am told the attendance was very good. The auction was well promoted by Sotheby's, with a fine catalogue and an artful pre-auction display. The sale was timed to take place on the eve of the opening of the annual Parcours des Mondes. The sale had objects from throughout Africa and had something for everyone, although the upscale setting may have intimidated the smaller collector.

The sale was the first major African Art auction solely comprised of non-figurative works (well, there was actually one figurative work - LOT 101) and so there was much anticipation over sale results. Working in the sale's favor was the Ginzberg's highly-regarded book African Forms as well as Marc & Denyse's proven track record as collectors and most people were rooting for the sale to do well.

Everyone I spoke to felt the sale was a success, and the total realized was 1,032,000 EUR (including commission). The star lots before the sale were the Mangbetu drum (LOT 36), the Kikuyu shield (LOT 5) and the Zulu snuff container (LOT 101) and none of them disappointed, with the drum fetching 110,400 EUR, the shield 108,000 EUR and the snuff 72,000 EUR (all prices include commission). I wasn't surprised by any of these prices - all great objects with broad appeal. The shields in particular did very well with a Madagascar shield (LOT25) fetching an astounding 26,400 EUR. The shields are very decorative and may have appealed to decorators or individuals who are not strictly tribal collectors.

I personally found the Fulani earrings (LOT 54) to be gorgeous and they fetched 15,000 EUR. Some other big prices were for the Zulu headrest LOT 160 (quite unique and with an old repair) at 20,400 EUR , the Lega spoon (LOT 149) 36,000 EUR and two Baule lots (LOT 75 & 76) fetched 21,600 EUR and 22,800 EUR respectively.

Almost all lots sold, partly due to the conservative estimates. There were definitely bargains to be had (e.g. the Shona headrest LOT 159 fetched a modest 2,880 EUR) and I was lucky enough to get some wonderful Zulu objects that I had always admired at Marc's home. It's sad to see the collection split up as it served a valuable purpose in educating people worldwide about the beauty of these everyday utilitarian objects and Marc & Denyse were always generous in sharing it with others.

Daniel
JacarandaTribal.com