This superb figural pipe is an excellent example of the sensitivity that Tsonga wood-carvers brought to their craft. In The Arts of Southern Africa (Pethica Collection) it is described thus; "The headring and expressive articulation of facial features suggests that this pipe may have been made by a Tsonga-speaking carver, possibly a migrant who produced pipes for patrons and other communities."
Provenance: Wills Cigarette and Tobacco Company Pipe Collection, UK Galerie Valluet, France Therence Pethica collection, UK
Published in The Arts of Southern Africa , p. 185, no. 95
Reference:
See: Annals of South Africa Museum, Volume XXIV, Plate XCV, figs 4 and 5. for similar examples.
