Featured Large African ironwood carving

I bought this about 35 years ago, (when I could lift it)! It’s very very heavy, I believe it is Ironwood/Leadwood. It’s 45 inches tall, 11 inches wide, no signature I can see. The person I bought it from said it was Zulu, but I don’t know if that’s true. I actually bought two sculptures from him but the other slightly smaller one was given away, it looked very similar to this one.
He had shipped a number of heavy items over from Africa. I can’t find anything online quite like this. Not the sort of tourist item you could carry in your luggage even then. I can’t lift it now, I had to roll it on its base. Any info please anyone? Thanks.

 

@2manybooks ?

 

I think your carving may depict a Zulu man, but the Zulu are not well known for being wood carvers themselves.

It looks like the carver chose to use a weathered section of wood, with the roots preserved at the top of the piece. The sapwood appears to be entirely gone. It may be leadwood (Combretum imberbe), or African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) - both very heavy species that occur in southern and eastern Africa. Both have been used by Makonde carvers, the most notable carvers in the regions of southeast Tanzania, northern Mozambique, and Kenya, and many older Makonde carvings were made in this way, preserving sections of the natural, uncarved wood.

But I have not seen other examples of Makonde work that leave the adze marks so visible, particularly on a face. They more commonly have well finished and highly polished surfaces. The texturing on the beard, however, looks very similar to other Makonde work I have seen.

It is an interesting piece.

Here is more information on the history of the Makonde and their tradition of wood carving -
https://www.blackwoodconservation.org/makonde-art/

 

Thanks for the reply @2manybooks and the link. I think the person I bought the piece from lived in South Africa but, looking around, I too wasn’t convinced the pieces were made by the Zulu.
Re the link, I think the modern female carver Mwandale Mwanyekwas work is wonderful.
As for my piece I’ll be putting it in Auction soon if they will take it and hope it fetches more than the £60 I paid. I’ll need my neighbours help to get it in the car though.

 

I think the unfinished look of it adds to the appeal.

 

I don't.......

 

It may do all right in an auction with other ethnographic objects, but if it is a general auction I fear you may be disappointed.

 

chainsaw carvings are popular......so it may find a home..

 

Hope so, it will free up space here and I’m always frightened it will topple over and injure someone.