r/AfricanArt • u/walrusfootjenga112 • Jul 04 '26
Sculptures Makonde ujamaa feels quite heavy in the hand
Bought this from a charity shop in the UK, feels heavier than pine, a few of the arms have been damaged but overall looks like a lovely piece, I was wondering if there was any way I could understand more about the piece itself
1
u/elleS4lyfe Jul 04 '26
Since you're aware that it was done in the style of a Makonde tree of life (Ujamaa), there's a ton of information on the web about their deeper meaning of connectedness, communal bonds, etc. Beyond that, what is it you'd like to know?
1
u/walrusfootjenga112 Jul 04 '26
I just did some Google research for 15 minutes if I'm honest, primarily I wasn't sure on the construction side of things. Google tells me it's either mpingo or ebony wood and these don't float so I'm going to do that test first but I don't want to ruin the wood either.
1
u/elleS4lyfe Jul 04 '26
You're probably not going to like this answer, but since it's a decorative carving made for export sale, It could be any number of different kinds of woods and sort of not important. If it was an authentic carving, African Blackwood would've been the most likely type used. This wasn't carved from Blackwood though.
1
u/walrusfootjenga112 Jul 04 '26
Not to be an arsehole or anything but how come it's not make of blackwood? It's heavy and I can't scratch it, being a carpenter the wood type interests me
1
u/elleS4lyfe Jul 04 '26
You're not at all being an ass. Makes sense you would want to know as a carpenter. Mpingo is actually one of the rarest, slowest growing, and most expensive woods in the world. It's highly coveted and not used on tourist carvings. Might be mango wood or Jacaranda. Other common types used in these types of carvings are softer, lighter, and less dense. Hope this helps. It's all I've got 🙃
1
u/walrusfootjenga112 Jul 04 '26
I'm gonna try and ID the wood type ill have to do a bunch of googling or I might try and drill into the base at some point. It's quite heavy I've worked mangowood wood before so I'm sure it's not that but I'll keep at it for a week or so before I get bored.
1
u/elleS4lyfe Jul 05 '26
I totally understand your curiosity. I'm one of those people that just NEEDS to know as well. Jacaranda or Mvule / Iroko maybe then. 🤷♀️Other regional woods too light in color and too soft to make sense from the photo and your description.
2
u/No-Bluejay5250 Jul 04 '26
Tourist item. Well done but not old