ON SALE! WAS $595. Here is an awesome vintage Bete tribe mask that looks like it is alive!! Very creepy! Carved integrally from one piece of wood, this piece is a work of a  More »

ON SALE! WAS $595. Here is an awesome vintage Bete tribe mask that looks like it is alive!! Very creepy! Carved integrally from one piece of wood, this piece is a work of a master carver! About 10 ½” tall x 7 ¼” wide x 6 ¼” deep. Spectacular piece! Normal age cracks and aging to wood. Please check out our other listings for more great items! Thanks!   « Less

R&V Music and Art is pleased to offer a small collection of very high quality gemstone hand carved skulls. These were collected over a 25 year period by a New England  More »

R&V Music and Art is pleased to offer a small collection of very high quality gemstone hand carved skulls. These were collected over a 25 year period by a New England collector during the last quarter of the 20th century and are all exquisite examples! We have examined every one under high magnification and under black light and they are all 100% natural gemstones with no fillers, no artificial coloring and no repairs. All are hand crafted and all are hand carved. Each one is perfect with its natural mineral inclusions and natural faults. Each is priced extremely fairly and all of the prices are firm. First come, first served! Get them while you can! These are the only ones and when they are gone, they are gone! Human gemstone skull carved from natural petrified wood by the noted Chinese folk art carver ZhenFeng Xu in the Jiangsu Province during the late 20th century. About 4 ¼” overall x 2 ¾” x 3 ¼”. Perfect. Thanks for looking! Please check out our other listings!   « Less

Old pair of African armlets, heavy copper stamped with a geometric design and ridged lines. Each bangle is 11.4 cm high by cm diameter. They can be adjusted in size by  More »

Old pair of African armlets, heavy copper stamped with a geometric design and ridged lines. Each bangle is 11.4 cm high by cm diameter. They can be adjusted in size by squeezing. Lovely green verdigris in the design - very attractive items.   « Less

ON SALE! WAS $1,200. A stunning, museum quality, Dogon mask carved integrally from one piece of wood with the forearms added and wood pegged and reinforced with leather  More »

ON SALE! WAS $1,200. A stunning, museum quality, Dogon mask carved integrally from one piece of wood with the forearms added and wood pegged and reinforced with leather strapping. This giant beauty is 3 feet tall! A 12 ounce beverage can is shown for size comparison. Beautifully aged and intricately carved. We were told that she was purchased from an African art dealer in the late 60’s for about the same price we are now listing her at. Satimbe: Sister of the masks, Dogon people, Mali, wood, leather, cowie shells and pigment. This Dogon mask represents the ancient ancestress Yasigi. She cultivated the red hibiscus plant and used its fibers to make the first fiber shirts worn by the Dogon masked dancers. Yasigi is known as the “sister” of the masks and her mask is always present when other masks preform. The mask’s name is Satimbe, which means ”superimposed sister”, and refers to Yasigi’s position on top of the mask. She brandishes a beer ladle in her left hand in her role as beer maker for the first Sigi ceremony, a ritual held every 60 years to commemorate the making of the Great Mask of the Dead. She holds a fly whisk in her right hand to show her status as the first dignity of the Sigi. Dogon masks are box shaped and most represent wild animals of the bush. The masks appear at funerals to usher spirits of the dead from the village to the bush where they belong, thus restoring the order of the world. According to Dogon philosopher, Ogotemmeli, “The masked dancers are the world and when they dance in a public place they are dancing the process of the world and the world order.” Mask comes with a framed print of the above. Price is firm. Thanks for looking.   « Less

SALE! WAS $1,495. Here is an extreme rarity! A giant Bete tribe, Ivory Coast, Africa hippo dance mask. We have never seen another and could not find another example on the  More »

SALE! WAS $1,495. Here is an extreme rarity! A giant Bete tribe, Ivory Coast, Africa hippo dance mask. We have never seen another and could not find another example on the net. We were told that it was “brought out of Africa” in 1970 and probably was made in the 1950’s - early 50’s. It has a moving jaw and is made of: wood, animal skins, plant fibers, pigments and decorative tacks. It has some indigenous repairs that were done during its use that add to its authenticity. It measures a whopping 30” long. Carved entirely from one block of wood with open work. Shipping will be more than the average mask as it will be safely packed in a large box and we took this into consideration when we priced it. A 12 ounce beverage can is shown for size comparison. The centerpiece for any Ivory Coast collection, museum worthy! Price is firm. Thanks for looking!   « Less

SALE! WAS $100. A beautiful African belt composed of tiny blue beads and cowie shells. The belt part is about 29” long and 2” wide and overall, with ties is  More »

SALE! WAS $100. A beautiful African belt composed of tiny blue beads and cowie shells. The belt part is about 29” long and 2” wide and overall, with ties is about 50”, so it will fit a 30” and up waist. It is backed on a blue heavy textile fabric and is in excellent, like new, condition.   « Less

SALE! WAS $395. A very mystical and beautifully carved vintage mask. Carved entirely from one block of wood with open work. About 12” tall. Price is firm. Thanks  More »

SALE! WAS $395. A very mystical and beautifully carved vintage mask. Carved entirely from one block of wood with open work. About 12” tall. Price is firm. Thanks for looking!   « Less

SALE! WAS $49. A beautifully carved and colorfully decorated wood bowl with a giraffe drinking on one end. Carved entirely from one block of wood. Perfect condition! About  More »

SALE! WAS $49. A beautifully carved and colorfully decorated wood bowl with a giraffe drinking on one end. Carved entirely from one block of wood. Perfect condition! About 10” x 6”. Price is firm. Thanks for looking!   « Less

SALE! WAS $495. A super African, Ivory Coast mask, beautifully carved from one piece of wood with amazing detail. Long horns with bulging eyes. A beautiful, large, colorful  More »

SALE! WAS $495. A super African, Ivory Coast mask, beautifully carved from one piece of wood with amazing detail. Long horns with bulging eyes. A beautiful, large, colorful vintage mask. About 27 ½” long! Postage will be a little more than average because of size. Price is firm. Thanks for looking!   « Less

HALF PRICE SALE! WAS $2,500. Composition: wood, stain, oils, about 22” tall x 10” wide. Description: A beautifully designed and hand carved from one  More »

HALF PRICE SALE! WAS $2,500. Composition: wood, stain, oils, about 22” tall x 10” wide. Description: A beautifully designed and hand carved from one “log” of wood, mid 20th century Mende / Gbetu helmet mask. This mask is particularly beautiful and unusual. It embodies the ideals and lessons transmitted to the Mende / Gola peoples from the world beyond through the dance and accompanying rituals, the tribe calls upon the power of the spirits for progress, fertility of the fields and the tribe, and brings ideals of female beauty into the context of the natural world. The mask has a demure yet beautiful, subtle expression that conveys these elements; the intention of the dance is clearly illustrated in the lines, details, and power of the sculpture. “Most Mende / Gola art is associated with initiation and healing….This type of mask is the only type of African mask reserved exclusively for women. It is used by female members of the Mende / Gola peoples during ceremonies as young girls are initiated into a women's secret society called Sande, an organization that is responsible for the education and socialization of young Mende / Gola girls. In the course of the initiation process, they learn an entire body of knowledge: rules of moral conduct, legends, dance steps, songs, and secret recipes for medicines. When the girls reach the proper age (puberty), they are separated from their families and their community and taken in groups to isolated initiation camps. The length of the initiation time varies: for some groups it is several weeks, while for others it may be several months. This is an extremely important time for these girls because it is a transition between childhood and adulthood, between ignorance and knowledge, between play and responsibility. The elders stress concepts of moral stature and personal beauty. The girls acquire the knowledge they will need to perform as mature women, as mothers, and as citizens in their community. For instance, only women possess certain skills, such as the gathering and preparation of herbs and medicine from the wilderness. The girls are also prepared for marriage, which usually occurs soon after they have "graduated" from the camp and return to their community. During a ceremony, the newly initiated girls are led back to their community and reintroduced by a dancer who wears this mask and is covered from head to foot by a black costume. The dancer is accompanied by an attendant who "announces" the arrival of the Sande mask by name, and informs the gathering of the characteristics of the spirit. When not being used ceremonially, Sande masks are used to decorate the living spaces of revered members of the society. Each mask also has a personal name that represents the power of the female spirit it represents. The Sande mask depicts the feminine ideal of beauty among the Mende / Gola, including an elaborate carved hairstyle, thick rings of neck fat to indicate health and prosperity, and a high, domed forehead. The surface of the mask is originally a glossy black, (now somewhat dulled aged and worn), the color of the mud on a river bottom. Black is also the color of clean, oiled, healthy, and beautiful human skin, and the women are praised for their glossy complexions. The "wet" appearance alludes to water and its function as a barrier between the physical and spirit worlds. Price is firm. Thanks for looking!   « Less