Africa

This category presents antiquities connected to the diverse cultures and histories of the African continent. The objects reflect artistic traditions, social structures, and spiritual beliefs that developed across different regions and periods, offering insight into how material culture expressed identity, authority, and ritual life.

Carved Tooth (Late 1800s CE)

Antiquities Africa Congo Sculpture

Wrapping around the surface of the carved tooth, human figures, animals, and patterned motifs unfold like a visual story, inviting close inspection and rewarding the attentive eye with layers of meaning about trade, encounter, and cultural change in Central Africa.

Senufo sculpture of a nursing woman with child, 1800s–1900s

Nursing Woman with Child (1800s-1900s CE)

Antiquities Africa Sculpture Senufo

A nursing woman bends toward her child, offering nourishment and protection. Yet beneath this seemingly simple motif lies a dense network of ideas about ancestry, knowledge, and what it means to become fully human within Senufo society in West Africa.

Ceremonial chair or throne from the 1800s

Ceremonial Chair or Throne (1800s CE)

Antiquities Africa Angola Ceremonial & Religious

This elaborate wooden chairserved as a powerful symbol of authority for Chokwe supreme chiefs. What makes this particular example especially remarkable is its extraordinary decoration: over 40 intricately carved figures arranged in complex scenes.

Egyptian painted wood model figure of a man, Middle Kingdom

Model Figure of a Man (1980–1801 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

Despite its modest size, the figure of a man offers a vivid entry point into Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, where images were not merely symbolic but actively participated in ensuring eternal existence.

Akuaba Figurine with disc-shaped head and ringed neck

Akua’ba Figurine (Late 19th Century CE)

Antiquities Africa Ghana Sculpture

A woman named Akua, struggling with infertility, sought guidance from a priest who instructed her to commission a wooden figurine of a girl.

Yoruba Style Helmet, ceremonial object, late 19th to early 20th century

Yoruba Style Helmet (Late 19th to early 20th century CE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Yoruba

The Yoruba Style Helmet is tied to the secretive Oro association, whose masquerades were rarely seen by outsiders, adding an air of mystery.

Stela of Pasherienimhotep, Egyptian limestone funerary monument, 145–100 BCE

Stela of Pasherienimhotep (145-100 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

In ancient Egypt, stelae ensured the deceased’s memory and sustenance in the afterlife through offerings of bread, beer, and meat. This one, dedicated to Pasherienimhotep is a well preserved gem.

Paint Box of Vizier Amenemope (1427–1401 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Egyptian Tools and Implements

A boxwood paint box from Egypt’s New Kingdom, inlaid with Egyptian blue, crafted for Vizier Amenemope’s artistic pursuits.

Egyptian canopic jar with falcon head lid, 664–525 BCE

Canopic Jar With Falcons Head (664-525 BCE)

Antiquities Africa Ceremonial & Religious Egyptian

A travertine canopic jar from 664–525 BCE, topped with a falcon-headed lid symbolizing Qebehsenuef, crafted to safeguard intestines for the Egyptian afterlife.