vintage African hand-carved ebony wood sculptures

I have two African hand carved sculptures. I am trying to figure out what the signature is. Please see the attached pictures. These were a set that my grandmother had. She passed away in 1980. That information is to hopefully help figure out how old they are. Can anyone help me identify the artist?

 

Hi, @Stephanie Kinne, and welcome! I've taken the liberty of reposting your photographs as Full Image rather than Thumbnail so they're easier for everyone to see. (And not to worry. All new members do the exact same thing in their first post.)

Debora

 

By way, you might want to repost photographs of the signatures taken from straight on so they're not distorted.

Debora

 

they look 70's..... did she travel ?

 

possibly Makonde ..

 

Sig looks like G. Andre, but I can't find any additional info with that name.

 

If you turn the carving over and then take some flour, or baby powder, and lightly spread a bit on the bottom, then rub your finger back and forth to fill in the signature with the white powder, it sometimes becomes much easier to read.

 

They look like what I'd call "airport art". I've found similar drummers and musicians more than once.

 

Based on the style, I think they would date to the 1960s, and may have been made by Kamba artisans in Kenya rather than Makonde carvers (Tanzania).

 

the age of Aquarius,,,?

 

A dead link, but said to be from Ghana:



And this one has a “Handcrafted in Ghana” label:

https://www.etsy.com/nl/listing/4445727554/vintage-handgesneden-houten-sculptuur?lang_mismatch=1

 

I don't see those as coming from the same area......

 

Ghanaian carvers seem to be very quick to pick up and copy popular styles that originate in other countries on the continent. They are major producers of a variety of masks that mimic other regional styles, with more or less accuracy. Much of the kitschy decorative African wall art comes from Ghana. For example, the Ghanaian carving in the second link Any Jewelry has posted mimics the style originated by Shona stone carvers of Zimbabwe -


So it often can be difficult to attribute an individual carving to a particular place of origin, particularly when dealing with styles developed for the tourist/souvenir/export trade.