Here we have featured a beautiful sculpture of a Masai family, in traditional dress, from a single block of rosewood. I personally selected these pieces for their intricate carving. The exceptionally fine, detailed carving displays this warrior’s senior rank in his dress and marriage. The carver has displayed his amazing talent in the exquisite details of the facial features, jewelry and texture and folds of the clothing. The figures are holding spears and rungus (clubs), which are removable. The carver definitely captured the majestic pride and independence of these resilient warrior people of the African plain. With a reputation as fierce warriors and an arrogant demeanor, the Masai have largely managed to stay outside the mainstream development of Kenya and still maintain traditions, and their much treasured cattle herds. Some young warriors have recently traveled into town, looking for salaried work, where their fierce reputation precedes them. They are eagerly hired as guards, as thieves rarely will bother a home or establishment that has a Masai guard. The carving was done by one of the world-famous masters of wood: the Makonde Tribe of southern Tanzania, using only simple hand tools of axes, various-sized knives and sandpaper. The Makonde craftsman carved each figure from a single piece of rosewood, which is in the teak family of richly grained woods. Rosewood also exhibits a delightful, flowery fragrance as it is being cut because of the natural oil that is in the wood. This piece has then been polished to a high sheen, which highlights the beautiful grain of the wood. This piece is definitely a collector’s item, quite distinctive from the usual market or “airport art” that is seen. This item is 18" tall and 8" wide and weighs over 5 lbs. |