Wood Carvings | African Crafts
8 items
African products
Akuaba Fertility Doll, Akan Carved Sese Wood, 25cm
A carved wooden Akuaba figure, 25cm tall, with the large flat disc head of the best known Akan form, a ringed body and a beaded necklace at the throat. Akuaba means Akua's child. The name comes from an Akan account of a woman called Akua who could not conceive, was advised at a shrine to have a small figure carved and to carry and care for it as a child, and who later gave birth. Her neighbours are said to have greeted the baby as Akua's child, and the figures have carried the name since. They stand for motherhood, for healthy children and for a family line continuing. The carving follows the conventions rather than inventing them. The head is the flat disc that most people picture when they think of an akuaba, the forehead is high, which is read as wisdom, and the neck and body are ringed, which is read as health and wellbeing. The face is small and still against the size of the head, which is the whole effect of the form. Akuaba are carved by Akan peoples across Ghana, the Asante and the Fante among them. This gallery works from Cape Coast, which is in Fante country. It stands on its own base. The maker gives the size as 25 by 10cm. This is sold as a carved figure and a piece of Akan art. It is hand carved from a natural material, so the grain and the finish differ from one to the next, and the beaded necklace is strung separately and sits loose at the throat. Dust it with a dry soft cloth and keep it out of direct sun.
£200.00Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Crafts
Teardrop Wooden Earrings, Hand Drawn African Pattern
A pair of teardrop wooden earrings, each face hand drawn with a band of African geometric pattern and hung from a small white faceted bead. Light enough for all day wear. The pattern is worked freehand across the lower half of each drop, rows of circles, arcs and dashes, so the two earrings in a pair sit close but never match exactly and no two pairs are the same. The wood keeps its grain under a warm reddish finish. Each drop hangs from a wire wrapped loop on a silver tone fish hook. Handmade in Kenya. Keep them dry and wipe with a soft cloth.
£22.00Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
African products
Prosperity Carved Wooden Wall Mask, Ghana Sese Wood, 45cm
A hand carved wall mask in sese wood, about 45cm tall, with an elongated face, gently closed eyes and a small carved head rising from the crown. Carved scrolls rise over the brow, the hair is cut in fine grooves back from the forehead, and the small head above it wears its own tall ridged crest, which gives the mask its height and its presence. The finish is a deep, polished brown. The maker named it Prosperity for a life rich in more than money: wisdom, inner peace, growth, good fortune and the strength to move forward. The calm, closed eyed face is meant as a reminder that prosperity begins within and grows through purpose, patience and good relationships. If you would rather hang two pieces together, the same store's Male and Female pair is carved in the same wood. Each mask is carved individually, so the grain, the carving marks and small details will differ from the one pictured. It measures 45 x 15cm (about 18 x 6in). Keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, and dust with a dry, soft cloth.
£400.00Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Arts
Transformation | Abstract Mahogany Wood Sculpture, 33cm
A hand carved abstract sculpture in mahogany, a single twisting form on a turned black base, about 33cm tall and finished clear over the grain. One piece only. The artist has titled it Transformation. In his own words it stands for the power of process when it is under the right influence, which is easy to see in the object: the wood is cut away until a solid block reads as something in motion, with the opening carved right through the centre so the light passes behind it. The twist is worked in one piece, so the grain runs continuously from the foot to the tip and the figure of the timber does the work that paint would do on a canvas. Mahogany is a close grained hardwood that takes a fine edge, which is what lets the carver leave the surface smooth enough to hold a gloss without losing the facets where the chisel turned. It is a free standing piece, not a wall work, so it needs a surface it can be walked around: a hall table, a mantelpiece, a shelf with some depth, or a desk. At 33cm it reads from across a room but does not take over a small one. The maker gives the size as 13 by 5 by 4 inches, which is about 33 by 13 by 10cm including the base. Care: dust it with a dry, soft cloth, keep it out of direct sunlight and away from a radiator, since heat and dry air are what split carved hardwood over time.
£120.00Sold by Repolly art • Nigeria
African products
The Observer Carved Wall Mask, Ghana Sese Wood, 38cm
A hand carved wooden wall mask, 38cm tall, with long hooded eyes cut in fine vertical lines, ears carved at the sides and a combed band across the hairline. The maker named it The Observer, for the wisdom that comes of watching before acting and listening before speaking. The carving carries it: the eyes are the deepest cut part of the piece, the lids heavy over them, and the ears are set proud of the face. The ears are what separate it from the rest of her masks. Neither The Enlightened One nor Prosperity has them, and on a face this long they change what the piece is doing, from a face being looked at to a face that is listening back. This is also the smallest of the three at 38cm, and the greyest, closer to weathered driftwood than to the warm brown of The Enlightened One or the dark stain of Prosperity. Pick by wall and by scale. The Observer suits a narrow space, a hallway or the wall beside a door, where a larger mask would crowd it. The maker gives the size as 38 by 15cm. Every mask is carved by hand from a natural material, so the grain, the colour and the depth of the cut differ from piece to piece and yours will not match the photograph exactly. Dust it with a dry soft cloth, and keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, which move and split wood over time.
£250.00Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
African products
Intuition Carved Wall Mask, Ghana Sese Wood, 45cm
A hand carved wooden wall mask in dark stained sese wood, 45cm tall, with closed eyes, a small carved head at the crown and patterned metal panels set into the brow and cheeks. The maker named it Intuition, for the kind of knowing that does not come through the eyes, and the carving is built around that idea. The eyelids are carved heavy and shut, the mouth is closed, and the whole face is long, narrow and still. In the maker's own words, when the eyes are silent, the spirit can see. What sets it apart from the gallery's other masks is the metal. Two triangles sit above the brows and two curved panels sit under the eyes, each worked with a fine pattern in gold and copper tones, and against the dark wood they catch the light while the carved face stays in shadow. If you want the same long face and carved crown without the metal, the Prosperity mask is the plainer sibling. If your wall is dark, the pale Enlightened One mask will stand out better. It is made to hang and suits a living room, an office, a hallway or a gallery wall, anywhere with enough plain space around it to be looked at properly. The maker gives the size as 45 by 15cm, about 18 by 6 inches. Every mask is carved by hand from a natural material, so the grain, the colour, the depth of the cut and the pattern on the metal differ from one piece to the next and yours will not match the photograph exactly. Dust it with a dry soft cloth, and keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, which move and split wood over time.
£350.00Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
African products
The Enlightened One Carved Wall Mask, Sese Wood, 45cm
A hand carved wooden wall mask in pale sese wood, 45cm tall, with a hatched band across the crown and punched dot work over the brows and cheeks. The maker named it The Enlightened One, for the pursuit of understanding and the quiet that comes with it, and the carving is worked to match. The face is long and narrow, the expression still, and the eyes are cut right through the wood so the wall behind shows at the pupils. In her own words, look beyond the face and discover the wisdom within. The wood is the thing to notice. Sese is pale when it is left alone, and most carvers stain it dark, which is what the maker has done on her Prosperity mask. This one is left close to its natural colour, so the punched dot work reads as texture rather than shadow and the piece sits better against a dark wall or dark furniture than its stained sibling does. If your wall is pale, the Prosperity mask is the one to look at instead. It is made to hang, and it is photographed hanging. It suits a living room, an office, a hallway or a gallery wall, anywhere it has enough plain space around it to be looked at properly. The maker gives the size as 45 by 15cm, about 18 by 6 inches. Every mask is carved by hand from a natural material, so the grain, the colour and the depth of the cut differ from one piece to the next and yours will not match the photograph exactly. Dust it with a dry soft cloth, and keep it out of direct sun and away from damp, which move and split wood over time.
£300.00Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
African products
Male and Female Wall Mask Pair, Carved Sese Wood, Ghana
A pair of hand carved wall masks, one male and one female, in sese wood with a dark brown finish, each about 46cm tall and sold together as a set of two. The female mask wears carved plaits falling either side of a ringed neck. The male has ears and a long carved beard. Both have slatted eyes cut right through the wood and a crest running over the crown, and on each forehead and cheek sits a panel with a punched, dotted border in copper and silver tones. The finish is rubbed back to show paler wood on the raised edges. The maker carved them as a pair to speak of complementarity: strength, protection and action in the masculine figure, nurture, wisdom and creativity in the feminine, and the idea that neither stands complete on its own. Displayed side by side they read as one piece, which is why they are sold together. If you want a single mask for a narrow wall, the same store's Prosperity mask is carved in the same wood. Each mask measures about 45.7 x 15.2cm (18 x 6in). Keep them out of direct sun and away from damp, and dust with a dry, soft cloth.
£800.00Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Buying guide
Buying hand carved African masks and sculpture
The carvings here are made by hand, mostly in Ghana in sese wood: wall masks around 38 to 45 cm tall, a pair of male and female masks, and an Akuaba figure, the flat headed Akan doll traditionally associated with fertility. There is also an abstract mahogany sculpture from Nigeria.
Each mask is carved individually, so the face, the finish and the grain are particular to that piece. Pale and dark stained versions of the same form look quite different on a wall, so choose the finish that suits your room. Check the height on each listing, and allow space around a mask so it reads as a single strong piece.
Wood responds to its surroundings. Keep carvings away from radiators and direct sun, which can dry and crack the wood, and dust them with a soft dry brush. Every product is reviewed before it goes live, and orders ship worldwide.
Read the full guide
Common questions
About buying wood carvings on Sokofa
Where can I buy authentic African masks online?
Sokofa (sokofa.com) sells hand carved African wall masks and sculpture directly from the carvers, mostly sese wood masks and Akuaba figures from Ghana, plus a mahogany sculpture from Nigeria. Orders ship worldwide.
What is an Akuaba doll?
An Akuaba is a carved figure of the Akan people of Ghana with a large flat disc shaped head. It is traditionally associated with fertility and the hope of a healthy child, and is now also collected as sculpture.
How do I care for a wooden mask?
Hang it away from heaters and direct sunlight, dust it with a soft dry brush, and avoid water and household sprays. If the wood looks dry after a few years, a little furniture wax brings back the finish.