Ukhamba or Ritual Beer Vessel
The Zulu people of South Africa traditionally crafted large earthenware vessels used for brewing, storing and serving beer. Sorghum beer, made from maize, holds particular importance in Zulu…
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Bembe Milk Vessels
Milk is collected in wooden vessels, cylindrical in shape among the Bembe and Tutsi; the Hima crafted them with a slightly flared base called Ekyanzi.
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Nandi, Shiva’s Mount
In Hinduism, every god and goddess has a mount, or vahana. Typically an animal or mythological creature, the vahana is representative of the deity’s virtues. Nandi, the bull,…
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Passport Mask
Small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand, passport masks were never made to be worn and openly displayed. Instead, they were kept out of sight,…
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Shipwrecked Vessels
‘Sunken treasure’ may evoke images of pirate chests filled with gold and silver strewn across the ocean floor, but over the last few decades the words have also…
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Ashetu Ceremonial Hat
The Ashetu is known as a prestige hat and is reserved for high ranking men and elite dignitaries of the Bamun or Bamileke people of Cameroon.
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Damarau or Sago Storage Vessel
Damarau are decorated with the faces of animals such as pigs and birds, masks and bush spirits.
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Budai or Laughing Buddha
The popular figure of Budai, also known as the Laughing Buddha, is often mistaken for the historical Gautama Buddha. However, Budai was in fact a Chinese monk named…
Antique Chinese Furniture
The golden age of antique Chinese furniture making came to an end with the decline of the Qing dynasty, which ended in 1911.
Lost-Wax Casting
he art of lost-wax casting goes back over 5000 years, evidenced by excavations of copper objects in Israel dating to approximately 3700 BCE. The methodology begins with carving…