Dear Kade Hodges,

Thank you for your appraisal submission. The work is a batik dyed textile on stretcher by John B. Mainga (Kenyan, 1954 - 2000). It depicts a figural composition of modern Kenyan style. A signature is featured to the lower right corner reading "Jb Mainga." According to the images provided, the work appears to be in good condition. There is minor fading to the lower left corner of the textile, and minor draw in the stretcher. It measures 16 x 25.5 inches in frame.

Mainga was born in Machakos, Kenya in 1954. He took art courses at the Shauri Moyo YMCA in Nairobi, but had to conclude his studies before their completion. From this short time of art education, Mainga was especially drawn to the batik technqiue which he continued to practice throughout his career. His works often depicted scenes of folklore and daily life, and his leather batiks are the most sought-after. Mainga exhibited his art internationally in France, the United States, and Germany, until a car accident resulted in his passing. Despite this exhibition history, there is not a strong secondary market of Mainga's works. To estimate a Fair Market Value of this work, we considered the commercial prices of the few Mainga's works selling online, as well as general sales trends of Kenyan and African batiks. With these, we estimate the Fair Market Value of this work between $0 and $200.

Thank you for your appraisal submission.

Kind regards,
Charlotte B.