Global Views and NOVICA Tropical Decorative Objects and Figurines

Ghana's famed "Gye Nyame" symbol emerges in this work by Emmanuel Yeboah, its rotating form meaning "I fear none except God." Vertical and horizontal patches of color invade the sharp outlines, each variation exalting the beauty of batik design. Known as an adinkra symbol, this image is revered throughout the country.
Yeboah explains for us his process: "First and foremost, I assemble my working tools, after which I sketch images on the calico cloth. With the sketches done, I sprinkle red and green oil paints on the calico cloth to give it a simple colorful background. I then cut out particular places I intend to replace with batik, which are later glued together." Accented in drawing ink.
Arrives framed in tweneboa wood.

A playful hummingbird soars skyward in an alebrije sculpture designed to hang from the ceiling. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Cal' gypsy word for "something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic."

Includes a thread for hanging.

• Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly.
• Some assembly required
• Hand-crafted item, color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
• Signed by the artist

• Color: Blue
• Dimension: 2.8" H x 3.7" W x 6.25" D

Angel Cer n reveals the presence of Chalchiuhtlicue as he works with clay extracted from the state of Oaxaca. Officially authorized to replicate pre-Hispanic museum pieces, Cer n crafts a detailed statuette of this feminine deity, the female companion of Tlaloc, Aztec god of rain. The original is dated between 1325 and 1521 A.D. Chalchiuhtlicue is the goddess of lakes, rivers, fountains, seas and oceans, and thus the protector of sailors and is also known as "She with the Jade Skirt" symbolizing pure and crystalline running water. "Chalchiuhtlicue is usually depicted holding a staff representing lightning, and a bag of copal, where clouds are formed. She is revered as the female principle of life and patron of midwives and newborns," explains Cer n who though he has officially retired, he continues to pursue his life-long passion for pre-Hispanic art.

• Material - Ceramic
• Color - Grey
• Dimension - 6.75" H x 3.9" W x 3.1" D
• Weight - 1.28 lbs
• Signed by the artist
• Museum replica(s)

Mother elephant and her calf hold a ball in their raised trunks in this extraordinary pair of Indian figurines. Each one is carved by hand from a single block of kadam wood with hand-held tools to create the ornate openwork known as jali. Smaller elephants are sculpted within the body in an amazing feat of artisanship. Wearing glistening beads, the lovely pachyderms are presented by Dayal J. Daryanani.

• Dimension - 3.9" H x 5" W x 2.2" D
• Weight - 0.29
• Color - Brown
• Wood grain and color can vary slightly
• Eco-Friendly: carved from natural and sustainable wood
• India

Lifting his trunk, a happy elephant seems to smile. Elephants are an important part of Thai culture and have been symbols of both power and peace. Working in the renowned celadon tradition, Thatsanee and Ramphan craft this handsome figurine by hand and bathe it in a cool green glaze.

• Dimension - 5.25" H x 3.1" W x 7.25" D
• Weight - 1.41
• Color - Green
• Features a crackled finish
• Thailand

A cockatoo couple sits regally on their perch in this captivating sculpture from Bali's Yudi Suardi. Hand carved in natural jempinis wood, the two birds levitate on a base of benalu, or parasite wood, with a naturally flat bottom. Please note the base may vary in shape and size, as the artisan uses found benalu wood pieces to create this sculpture.

Sculpted from well-seasoned sese wood, this magnificent mask is adorned with applications of embossed aluminum and polished to perfection. A bird crowns the thoughtful visage, touching the forehead with its beak. Eric Darko creates an image from Ghana's Akan people, naming his work Effutu, or "Advice."

• Material - Sese wood and aluminum
• Color - Brown
• Dimension - 17.75" H x 5" W x 2.8" D
• Weight - 1.25

A majestic elephant struts with pride, realized in amazing detail by Thai artisans, who carve it by hand from teak wood with tusks made of ivorywood. Amporn presents this fantastic sculpture, featuring an antiqued finish for a truly distinguished piece that celebrates the beauty of nature.

Product Features

• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
• 4.3" H x 7" W x 3.1" D
• Teak wood, ivorywood tusks
• Brown

Kobina Asmah celebrates women with the stunning design of this sculpture. Styled like a traditional mask, the original sese wood sculpture is carved by hand featuring engraved patterns on the headdress and base. The beautiful face is lavishly decorated with glistening recycled glass beads.

Elavanyo is a beautiful African mask designed by Ghanaian artisan Rita Addo Zakour. Meaning "It Is Well" in Ewe, the sese wood mask is carved by hand featuring engraved patterns on the eyes and white painted dots on the cheeks. The forehead is decorated with embossed aluminum.

• Material - Sese wood and aluminum
• Color - Brown
• Dimension - 9.5" H x 4.7" W x 1.6" D
• Weight - 0.73

With a faraway gaze, a young woman dreams of her sweetheart. Wayan Kandiyasa works in sandstone to create the portrait of a person who is deeply in love.

Product Features

• Color and/or motif may vary slightly
• 7.75" H x 3.2" W x 3.2" D
• Sandstone
• Beige

Two figures stand next to each other in this sculpture handcrafted by Joseph Boateng. The artisan crafts the sculpture using sese wood and finishes it using local clay and paint in shades of brown, yellow, and red. Joseph designs the sculpture to represent the value of confiding in another and working together to solve a problem.

• Dimension - 15.5" H x 5.5" W x 2.4" D
• Weight - 1.41
• Color - Brown
• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
• West Africa

Featureless, this mask represents protective spirits that can take animal form or can appear as strange beings. These spirits watch over families, clans and communities. They provide for fertility, health and prosperity as well as continuity of life. Superbly carved by Salihu Ibrahim, this mask is representative of the Gurunsi people from Burkina Faso.

• Dimension - 29.5" H x 9" W x 2" D
• Weight - 2.16
• Color - Multicolor
• West Africa

Located east of the Niger Delta, the Ogoni people of Africa enjoy a rich and vibrant mask culture. Ghana's Christopher Nyasafo designs this mask in the style of the Ogoni people's, traditionally used for entertainment, funerals, harvest festivals, as well as for judicial practices. This mask is hand-carved from sese wood and rubbed with clay, depicting a face with round eyes and a European-style black hat. Hair of natural jute peeks out from under the hat.

Product Features

• Intended as wall decor
• 1.562
• 15" H x 8.25" W x 5" D
• Sese wood, jute
• Brown, Black

Awudu Saaed designs this spectacular mask in honor of linguists for Akan chiefs known as 'Okyeame.' Adequately portrayed with the mouth opened, the sese wood mask of the distinguished personage is lavishly decorated with glass beads and brass accents.

• Dimension - 6.25" Diam.
• Weight - 0.46
• Color - Multicolor
• Eco-Friendly: carved from natural and sustainable wood
• West Africa

Amporn presents a design that captures the power and purpose of an elephant in its rainforest domain. Expertly carved from rain tree wood, the sculpture receives a polished finish and ivorywood tusks.

Product Features

• Each artwork is unique -- wood grain, color, and pattern will differ slightly from picture
• 6.5" H x 4.5" W x 8.25" D
• Rain tree wood and ivorywood
• Brown

Nondescript features could be any man in this handsome mask designed by Evelyn Kafui Ahianyo. "Warriors of Ghana's Zuglo tribe used this mask as a camouflage, disguising themselves during battle so that their enemies couldn't identify them," she explains. Beautiful plates of aluminum repoussA cover the forehead and nose.

• Dimension - 17.25" H x 7.75" W x 3.5" D
• Weight - 2.4
• Color - Multicolor
• West Africa

The unusual shapes and forms of benalu wood, related to the mistletoe, lend themselves to this stunning small sculpture from Yudi Suardi in Bali. The artisan carves a magnificent elephant with fierce tusks as if emerging from a unique piece of benalu wood with a natural finish. The sculpture arrives on a jempinis wood stand.
As each piece of wood is one-of-a-kind, please expect some variation in the shape and size of the sculpture you receive.

Baby elephants learn their first lessons in life: see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Duangkamol crafts the charming figurines with traditional celadon ceramic techniques featuring a unique glazed, crackled texture. The elephant calves sit on a tray.
Features a crackled finish

• Color: Green
• Dimension: 2.6" H x 2" W x 2.2" D

Serene features convey sensibility and closed lips wisely hold silence. Sculpted of sese wood, elegant contours painted by hand merge with the texture of brass repouss�. Juliana Akandas designs a mask used in northern Ghana when misunderstandings arise. "It represents three qualities, which are courage, sense and wisdom," she explains. She names the piece Fon, meaning "three wise friends."

A cockatoo with a colorful crest grasps a tree trunk with copper feet. Carved of white onyx, the bird represents the sculpture art of Cesar Gonzales. The beak and base are black onyx while chrysocolla, jasper and serpentine comprise the crest.

Product Features

• Natural stone - some variations in color and/or pattern are to be expected
• 7" H x 4.1" W x 5.75" D
• Onyx, chrysocolla, jasper and serpentine, copper feet, glass
• White

Meaning 'beauty,' Ahoufe is an original sculpture by master carver Daniel Nii Teiko Boye. Inspired by Akan artistry, he carves the sese wood sculpture by hand and crowns it with a multicolored beaded headdress.

Product Features

• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
• 17.5" H x 5" W x 2.8" D
• Sese wood and recycled class beads
• Black

This wonderful elephant sculpture is hand carved from teakwood and presented by Amporn in Thailand. The detailed elephant has ivory wood tusks and a raised trunk.

Designed by Indian artisan Sajad, this strikingly beautiful pair of sculptures--featuring a mother elephant and her child--will enhance the decor of any room. Each sculpture is carved from weeping willow wood, covered in papier-m�ch�, and buffed to a smooth finish. Oil paints in magnificent gold hues cover each sculpture with a glossy, floral robe.

Product Features

• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
• 4.9" H x 4.7" W x 2.6" D
• Weeping willow wood, papier-m�ch�
• Black, Gold Tone

This wonderful elephant sculpture is hand carved from teakwood and presented by Amporn in Thailand. The detailed elephant has ivory wood tusks and a raised trunk.

A mask to commemorate Huichol customs, this piece celebrates Tamaxi Wuimare, the spirit of the blue deer. Known as Kawuyumaire, this deer is regarded as the Huichol people's older brother; he is a messenger to the gods. It is believed he guides the shaman during spiritual rituals. Higinio Hern�ndez celebrates the essence and nature of this divine deer as he outlines the jicur� (peyote flower) in blue, in honor of the blue deer. When the sacred flower is ingested, participants are able to see Kawuyumaire or his spirit, Tamaxi Wuimare. Two bright and smiling suns occupy the cheeks while the shaman rests on the temples. The mask's hairdo features two burning candles, which the shaman lights before conjuring up the spirit of the blue deer.

To craft this piece, Hernandez carefully affixes colorful beads or chaquira upon a paper mache base, using a natural wax of his own preparation, known as cera de Campeche. This work is an extraordinary testimonial of pre-Hispanic shamanic rituals that have transcended the passing of time and history.

Care instructions: To prevent the yarn-work from coming loose, do not expose this piece to direct heat or light as it may melt the Campeche wax adhesive.

Product Features

• Keep out of the sun
• 0.68200004
• 11.5" H x 5.75" W x 3.2" D
• Beads on paper mache
• Multicolor

Insets of shining repouss adorn the chin and forehead of this handsome personage. Subtle color enhances the smooth, regular features. Symbolizing recognition, the mask is named Abodin, a word meaning 'very expensive and good in quality' in the Akan language. It is superbly crafted by Walter Kuma.

Product Features

• Color and/or motif may vary slightly
• 15" H x 6.25" W x 2.8" D
• Sese wood and aluminum
• Brown

Ghanaian artisan Abdulai Osman Adam reinterprets tradition with an original version of the legendary Akuaba, the fertility doll of the Ashanti people. According to legend, there once was a woman who couldn't conceive, so the village priest told her to craft a doll, dress it and look after it as she would a child. Soon she'd have a child of her own. Custom persists and many women prepare their own Akuaba doll, and when the child is born, Akuaba is given as the baby's first toy. Adam carves this sese wood sculpture by hand, portraying her in blue and sitting on a throne. He adorns her elaborate headdress with African wax prints in cotton.

• Material - Sese wood, cotton trim
• Color - Blue
• Dimension - 14.25" H x 4.3" W x 3.1" D
• Weight - 0.86 lbs
• Intended for display on a tabletop or other flat surface
• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly

Red and yellow stripes stand out on this captivating mask from West Africa's Abdul Razak. The artisan hand carves the mask from local sese wood, adds textured brass and aluminum plating, then dabs notes of deep blue around the nose and mouth.

His eyes are closed forever, yet they seem to gaze protectively from beyond the grave. Incised with concentric circles in warm earth colors, this mask is representative of the Lubo, a Bantu speaking people from southern Congo. These are used during periods of transition, marking the death of a chief or other eminent person. It is crafted by Salihu Ibrahim.

• Dimension - 12.25" H x 11" W x 5.5" D
• Weight - 2.68
• Color - Brown
• West Africa

West African artisan Christopher Nyasafo designs this smiling mask with a patterned headdress and long, flowing hair in raffia. The mask is called Teke, after a tribe of farmers and hunters who inhabit the savannah plateaus of both the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Hand-carved of sese wood, this Ghanaian sculpture depicts an African drummer. Chief Carver Nana Frimpong creates the sculpture, capturing every little detail with finesse.

With eyes closed, a musician sways to the sound of his music. Daniel Nyadedzor depicts the village's chief trumpeter blowing a hot, sweet tune. He names the hand-carved mask Abenhyefo, meaning "Trumpeter" in the language of Ghana's Akan people.

• Dimension - 16" H x 3.3" W x 2.2" D
• Weight - 0.35
• Color - Brown
• West Africa

A playful hummingbird seeks out the sweet nectar of flowers in an alebrije sculpture designed to hang from the ceiling. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Calo gypsy word for 'something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic.'

Includes a thread for hanging.

Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Product Features

• Warning: Choking Hazard. Small parts -- not for children under 3 years.
• 2.8" H x 3.7" W x 6.25" D
• Copal wood
• Green

With imponderable countenance, the Moche god Naylamp stares into the present from the distant past. Ana Maria Enciso creates a mythical vision in copper, chemically treated to a glowing green. Bronze details emphasize the expression of this handsome mask with their rich golden tones. A triangular hook at the back permits hanging.

• Material - Copper with bronze
• Color - Green
• Dimension - 7.75" H x 9" W x 0.6" D
• Weight - 0.37 lbs
• Hanging accessories included

Lifting its trunk to trumpet, a proud elephant roams the African rain forest. George Obeng realistically depicts the splendid creature in an ebony wood sculpture. 'The shape and size of the elephant reveals God's limitless creativity,' he says.

• Dimension :-7.5" H x 7.5" W x 3.5" D
• Weight :-1.34 lbs
• Material :-Ebony Wood, Recycled Plastic
• Color :-Brown
• Wood grain and color can vary slightly
• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly