Each piece of Shona sculpture is hand carved from stone mostly by the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. Different types of stone are used including the semiprecious verdite, butter jade and serpentine stones. You can find some of these pieces in fine galleries all over the world. You might have seen them showcased at Atlanta international airport, if not you can google that exhibition! You can find more pieces on our website WWW.AfricanAuthentics.com.

Zimbabwe Stone Sculpture/ Shona Art

Zimbabwe’s stone sculptures have fast become collector items and can now be found in world class galleries such as the Rodin Museum in Paris, Museum of Modern art in New York, Museum of Mankind in London. The value of this art did not escape the discerning eyes of some of the world‚s prominent art collectors such as the Rockefellers, Prince Charles and the Rothchilds who each have a few pieces of the Zimbabwe stone sculptures in their private collections.
Of the more than 250 stone types in use in today, serpentine is the most commonly used and occurs in a variety of colors including reds, greens, black and yellows. Other types of stone in use vary in color and hardness and include verdite, rapoko, soapstone and spring stone.
Creating each piece is very labor intensive and requires patience and skill. Simple tools such as chisels, hammers, sand paper,, heat and beeswax are used. It can take up to a month to produce a medium sized sculpture. Like any true works of art, no two sculptures can be exactly alike. What may look like irregularities are indeed the true marks of authenticity.
Exercise care when handling the sculptures as they are fragile. To restore the shine to polished surfaces , use beeswax or any polish that contain beeswax such as a neutral colored shoe polish. For repair instructions, visit our website or contact us.
Contact Rosemary at 857 221 0134
www.AfricanAuthentics.com
sahwira@AfricanAuthentics.com