African Statue #4
I inherited this sculpture from my dad , who passed away in November 2022. He lived in Nigeria in the late 1960s. He bought many African pieces, and I believe this is from Africa but am not sure.
9.5 x 5
Inherited
Yes
Hi Christine,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
An antique carved figural tool
African or South American, probably late 19th Century
Three-dimensional object centering a figure with peaked headdress, in a squatting position with hands around its knees, a knob protruding from its back, a point protruding from its torso, the base with a rounded shape.
9-1/2 inches high
CONDITION: this sculpture has wear suggestive of age and use.
PROVENANCE: inherited
$125-175*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia
There is no signs of wear, the surface is smooth to the touch, it is in great condition. If you hold it by the bottom, you could use the knob to crush something but it is not sharp enough to be a knife
I added more images
A hatchet?
I'm also at a bit of a loss on this one, too.
I do see that it could be both African as well as South American and have catalogued this as broadly as possible. Without an obvious purpose, it's a bit hard to know where to put the value on this but given its shape and size and complex composition, it surely has to be worth $125-175. I'm sorry I can't be more specific on this one...but in the decades I've been appraising, I always see new and interesting/unusual things.
Do you think this is an African erotic toy?
I wouldnt think so...but only because the antique erotic toys I've seen are made of materials that are smoother/harder and less conducive to bacteria (ie, bone, porcelain or some sort of ceramic, marble).
LOL! That is the thing that made us think it’s a sex toy, it is made out of smooth ceramic or some polished stone, it is completely smooth to the touch
OMG lol too! and it's massive too...
As far as I'm aware - and speaking with a couple decades of working with artifacts from both Africa and South America - there isn't a noted tradition such as there is in, say, the Middle East or Asia, where there were more prevalent hedonistic cultures.
I am at a loss with this. You cannot do anything with it for decoration except put it in a shadow box or stand. I am not even sure it’s African because I found it away from that collection and with the precolumbine, Peruvian art , but being Peruvian, it does not look at all like it’s from Peru unless it’s from some area/culture I am unaware of. It must have some purpose as a tool. We read these appraisals and are very excited to find out more since we do a lot of archaeological
Travel, but I never saw anything like this