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LOT 2400
Papuan New Guinea Polished Stone Axehead
19TH-20TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/4 in. (457 grams, 18.5 cm).
Lentoid in section and linguiform in profile with fine polished surface. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market in the 1980s.
From an East Anglian private collection.
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Bambara Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
A small wooden carved mask with curved horns, decorated with thin metal sheets and fabric tufts. 234 grams, 30 cm
From Mali, West Africa. From the collection of the late Professor R M Hicks, OBE. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Dan Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Carved in an exaggerated face with slits in the protrusive eyes, open lips, vertical crest from nose to brow; with a rolled leather headband, decorated with cowrie shells and lengths of fibre. 808 grams, 28 cm
From Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia, West Africa. From the late Brian Morley collection, 1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Brass Manilla Slave Bracelet
Okombo Tribe, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Penannular in profile and round in section with integral pellet and wire detailing. 248 grams, 10.5 cm
From Nigeria, West Africa. From an old Derby, UK, specialist collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Also known as okpoho, Okombo or abi. Once a form of currency for West African peoples, manillas became one of the main currencies of choice during the slave trade to the Americas. Their usage during this time in history was of such prevalence that they were often referred to as “slave trade money.” The Manilla is in very good condition and measures 105mm wide and weighs about 250gms. Manillas are typically horse shoe-shaped with flared ends and often decorated with balls on each end. Africans from each region had names for each variety of manilla and were very particular about the types they would accept. They valued the Manillas by the sound they made when struck and used them as the dominant form of currency for many things including everyday market purchases, bride price and burials. The main purpose of the manilla – the trading and purchase of slaves- fostered a system where the incoming voyage of Europeans took manillas to West Africa to obtain slaves, who were then taken to the Americas. The price of a slave valued in manillas varied depending on the time, place and type being offered.
