Hello: This piece came to me from an import shop owner who purchased the shop in 1947 in Florida from a previous owner and this piece was in the shop at the...
Hi Moyo, could you explain the connection of why a sculptor from Benin or Nigeria (as it says on the bottom of the statue)would carve a representation of a...
Dear Moyo, Thanks a lot for yours historical precisions about Benin " ateliers " carving ebony. Outside of great lines I am rather ignorant of history of...
I hope I did not confuse the issues. In short, my interpretation is that the terracotta portrait posted by Felix is a western artist's orientalism of the...
Moyo, my apologies, I think I confused the issue somewhat too. I did read your post and write mine very early in the morning! :-) Cheers Craig ... that the...
Chubb has a Valuable Articles policy with interesting cataloguing software called Masterpiece Manager that even allows one to specify works on loan. But I...
Hello: I am enlightened by all of the cooperation and sense of community with this site. You all have been most helpfull in my quest to figure the origin of...
Hello Lori, This is a topic that often is brought up with collectors, I have a file created on my computer on this topic, as well as many other topics, with...
Hi all, I hope this message finds everyone in good spirits! I wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone for their participation in the group, and to...
Is it possible that these "Mangbetu"; women carved by Nigerians are really Fulani women from Northern Nigeria? ... From: MOYOSORE OKEDIJI <okdg@...> To:...
Hi Lori, my advice about cleaning most pieces is "don't"!. All I do is to wave a cloth near a piece to gently blow excess dust from it. If a piece has anything...
Craig's advice to Lori about not cleaning "most" pieces is correct. However, occasionally an exception comes along. Several years ago I acquired a very old...
Hi All: I don't know if the following information will be helpful to many,but I do want to share it with you.I don't have a big collection,but what I have I...
We have just posted a new issue of our blog newsletter, Tribal Artery. Subjects range from high-value Australian Aboriginal paintings on eBay to the care and...
Craig's advice to Lori about not cleaning "most" pieces is correct. However, occasionally an exception comes along. Several years ago I acquired a very old...
I have a question about cracks, that is perhaps much ado about nothing :-). Does inspecting the interior surfaces of cracks provide any clues regarding an...
Hi Gary, I would love to see a "before" picture if you have one. I don't know if you have devalued the mask by cleaning it, after all I suppose the black...
Gary, you were right to be suspicious about the pieces you mentioned. It is something I always look at if there is a piece with a crack, if it is an old crack...
Craig, the mask was so filthy, broken and grease-covered that my first thought was to give it away rather than try to clean it. I received it in a trade where...
Definately sounds like you did the right thing!! I think you got yourself a great mask, I've never seen anything quite like it before. Cheers Craig ... first ...
Hi Gary, I also agree with what Craig says. Wood shrinks and cracks for many different reasons, but the most common reason is drying out which can come from...
Hi Gary, Thanks for sharing the story about your mask. I guess this indeed is one of the cases where the overall cleaning of a mask gave it great benefit...
Rand, I did have my Malinke mask examined several years ago by James Pascal Imperato, an authority on this area of West Africa, and he told me it was a...
Dear friends,` On the subject of cleaning of pieces we are divided in two or more categories : Those who wont touch a piece and those who wants to restore the...
Lori, I'm not sure if you have posted the photo in your folder? I can not seem to find an item that matches the description of the item you mention below? RAND...
Sorry, I needed to look a little harder at your photos. For some reason I thought you were adding a new mask to your photos and not talking about an existing...
