Ethnic Art
The world is a large place with thousands of indigenous tribes spread over the five
continents and oceans. Thousands of objects have been produced both for use within
these tribes and for trading. A general rule is that items made for home use are
generally more valuable than items specifically for trading with other tribes. There
are four main regions of interest to the Collectors: the Americas, Africa, South
East Asia and the Pacific Islands. These regions can, of course, be subdivided into
more localised areas and the tribes themselves.
A late 19th/early 20th century Tongan Headrest that realised £4,600 at auction (FS19/613).
Not all collectors work by region or tribe, some work by themes such as African
masks, carved wooden fertility figures, tribal weapons, pottery, beadwork, metalwork
and such like. The popularity of certain items, such as African carved wooden masks,
has led to the importing of modern carved examples, which whilst decorative are
not valuable. So genuinely old pre-contact pieces are at a premium whilst post-contact
pieces do not command such high values.
The Americas provide a vast array of subject matter. From Eskimo (Inuit) art in
the far North through the West Coast Indians with their carved argillite totem poles
and figures, the Plains Indians of Central American with well known tribes such
as Sioux, Blackfoot and Cherokees through to the Inca and Quimbaya tribes of South
America.
The Quimbaya civilisation was best known for their work in gold and silver and was
based in the valley of the Cauca River in what is now Columbia. This civilisation
lasted until about 1500AD. Probably the most common items from these people to come
to auction are their pottery "Flat Figures". These terra-cotta figures are normally
square with thin slit eyes and mouth and simple limbs. They often appear to have
tranquil faces. Mostly seated and often waving one arm. These friendly looking fertility
figures, although old, normally realise in the region of £50-£80 each.
Africa provides one of the richest sources of tribal art, its figures, masks, weapons
and works of art are highly sort after. The main collectors tend to come from countries
who had colonies in Africa, so France, Belgium and Holland are amongst the strongest
buyers. The most popular area of collecting is probably masks, with dance, fertility
and funeral masks being the most prevalent items.
A Maori Taiaha (Spear) of Traditional Design (FS14/686), which was sold at auction
in April 2012.
The last great area for collectors is the Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and the
thousands of small islands that make up the colourful tapestry of the Pacific Ocean.
Maori pieces always create a great deal of excitement. One of the most familiar
items to come under the hammer are nephrite pendants of Hei-Tiki, the Maori god
of good luck and fertility. They have been steadily increasing in price over the
past few years.
The final port of call is the island of Fiji and probably the most popular items
to come from the island are the war clubs traditionally decorated with zigzag bands
and can realise anything from a few hundreds of pounds to over a thousand pounds.
One thing comes through loud and clear - Provenance. When was the piece acquired?
what was its history? Has it been in the same family since it was acquired? These
are of vital importance to the prospective purchasers and collectors. With a good
provenance, this will push pieces above the normal and into the collectable. With
the Internet, the world has suddenly become a lot smaller!
Specialists
 | Martin McIlroy
Department Head
|  | Leigh Extence
Clock Consultant
|