Southern African Art at African Antiques

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Dear African Art Collectors,

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David Norden

South Africa

Southern African art, Namibia, Botswana

South Africa collection

A Southern African art collection

Until the 60's, the artistic production of meridional Africa -South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana were attributed to the Zulu- the most important political force -and not properly understood.

It is very difficult to collect, since the nomadic habits in SA did they haven't made much figurative art.
[ Ndebele-Zimbabwe ]

A South African anthropologist by the name of Schapira (not sure about the spelling?) wrote a book published by Penguin, many years ago, called Married Life in Africa which is about the Tswana. There are countless other studies and articles about them.

The objects on this page are coming from the Groenenhuizen collection in Den Haag, Netherlands, they where collected around 1900-1920.

South Africans where nomadic -they follow their herds or cattle- and so their artistic output is mainly limited to utilitarian objects, such as clubs, vessels, neckrests, pipes, and snuff boxes, you will see a few nice and old samples below.

>> The Bushmen are not Tswana thought they live in Botswana. The Tswana are a different ethnic from Bushmen who are "nomads", small in stature. Their motto is "we have little and we want little" isn't that something to learn from?! ( dixit Margalit a member of our african antiques discussion group ) <<

Most of the items of the collction below are already sold,

to see our items for sale you should visit Buy African Antiques

	A Lunda staff, with a fine stylised expression, and hair dress.
	A bushmen Kalahari tobacco bag from Botswana early XXth century. Very little is known about the Botswana people and very few objects have been attributed to them.
	Iduma staff XIXth century. North Nguni. 114cm very rare. At the beginning of the XIXth century, several tribes joined together and took the name of one - The Zulu. Their king reigned over local chiefs called Iduma, who in turn, ruled over the people. In 1884, the Zulu lost their independence when they were subjugated by the English. This anthropomorphic Club is typical for the North Nguni, and with it's three heads, and fine carving must have belonged to an important chief. Now in the Kevin Conru collection.



Several snuff bottles. North Nguni smoking habits generated an array of snuff containers carved from horn, wood, with copper wires and beads 9cm-14cm