Sculptures Archivy - Antikelen

Virgin Mary with Child

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:27:59 +0000

Central Europe, 19th century, wood, 37 x 14.5 x 11.5 cm

The post Virgin Mary with Child appeared first on Antikelen.

Jan Masaryk bronze plaque

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 09:40:42 +0000

Bronze plaque of Jan Masaryk (1886 – 1948), Czechoslovak diplomat, politician, son of the first Czechoslovak president T. G. Masaryk.

Bronze, around 1950, signed: Albin Novotný (1909 - 1963, sculptor), 24 x 18 x 1.5 cm

The post Jan Masaryk bronze plaque appeared first on Antikelen.

Henri Laurens, Cubist Head of a Young Woman

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:48:34 +0000

After Henri Laurens (1885–1954), late 20th century, bronze, stone base, marked, h. 37 cm

The post Henri Laurens, Cubist Head of a Young Woman appeared first on Antikelen.

Fighters

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:44:45 +0000

Bronze, stone base, late 20th century, unsigned, 26 x 25 x 18 cm

The post Fighters appeared first on Antikelen.

Modernist female figure

admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:41:51 +0000

Bronze, stone pedestal, late 20th century, signed: A. Parnasse, h. 82 cm

The post Modernist female figure appeared first on Antikelen.

Bronze relief with courtiers, Benin

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 17:11:37 +0000

The bronze relief depicts a pair of high-ranking courtiers or guards standing in front of the architectural facade of the palace with three tower-like roofs. Figures with distinctive coral neckpieces (igbighan) and ceremonial loincloths with an intricate geometric pattern flank the central rectangular opening. At their feet, in the lower part of the relief, a three-dimensional leopard head with a typical dotted decor dominates.

Relief plaques (ama) from the Kingdom of Benin formed the visual program of the royal palace and celebrated the divine power of the monarch (oba). The presence of the leopard in the relief has a deep symbolic meaning - the leopard was considered the "king of the bush" in the Edo culture and was a direct ritual alter ego and symbol of the monarch himself who ruled the human world. The depicted courtiers demonstrate the strict hierarchy of palace life, where proximity to the monarch and his animal symbols of power determined social status and spiritual authority within the empire.

Nigeria, turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, bronze, mounted on a wooden board, board 75 x 50 cm, relief 61 x 40 cm

The post Bronze relief with courtiers, Benin appeared first on Antikelen.

Bronze relief, Benin

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 17:03:39 +0000

The bronze relief depicts a narrative scene taking place in front of the sacred residence of the Oba of Benin. The main part depicts several figures in dynamic poses with elaborate ritual clothing, coral neckerchiefs and headdresses. Among the figures are palace guards with ada swords, courtiers and servants performing ceremonial acts. The background of the relief is filled with delicate engraved plant decoration and a traditional river motif that refers to the deity Olokun.

The bronze plaques originally adorned the wooden pillars of the vast royal palace in Benin City. They served as a visual chronicle of the kingdom, recording historical battles, court ceremonies and the hierarchical structure of Edo society. The palace itself was seen as the center of the universe and the ritual center of the empire. This relief demonstrates the absolute secular and spiritual power of the Oba, his wealth and the importance of palace rituals that ensured the stability and prosperity of the entire Benin state.

Nigeria, late 18th and early 19th century, bronze, mounted on a wooden board, board 76 x 49 cm, relief 57 x 40 cm

The post Bronze relief, Benin appeared first on Antikelen.

Buddha, Thailand, 19th ct.

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:45:06 +0000

Thailand, 19th century, wood, polychromy, h. 59 cm

The post Buddha, Thailand, 19th ct. appeared first on Antikelen.

Ritual statue, Congo

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:40:21 +0000

The traditional African ritual statuette shows highly stylized and geometric body proportions. The dominant hemispherical head bears finely carved features. The extremely elongated neck and torso with one conical breast are tightly wrapped in natural material, creating a distinctive spiral relief. The short, massive lower limbs are depicted in a slight squat and ensure the stability of the entire figural composition.

This specific type of sculpture served young women and girls as a protective amulet and ritual aid to ensure fertility, healthy motherhood and easy childbirth. Women carried the statuettes with them, cared for them as if they were real children and believed that through them they communicated with the spiritual forces responsible for the continuity of the family.

Congo, Africa, early 20th century, wood, h. 38 cm

The post Ritual statue, Congo appeared first on Antikelen.

Carved statue, Luba, Congo

admin — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 16:18:36 +0000

The traditional carving depicts a kneeling figure holding a sacred ritual bowl called a mboko with both hands. The sculpture bears the classic stylistic features of Luba court art: a prominently arched forehead, an elongated facial area with almond-shaped eyes, a finely crafted intricate hairstyle at the back of the head, and decorative brass studs applied to the forehead and temples.

Mboko vessels were among the most important objects of power and oracles in the Luba kingdom. The kneeling female figure represents a spiritual intermediary, as women were perceived in Luba culture as the only beings capable of preserving the spirits of their ancestors and divine power in their bodies. The mboko bowl served as a place for oracles to store sacred white clay (kaolin). It was applied to the face of a soothsayer or ruler during rituals, enabling communication with the spirit world, purification, divination of the future, and legitimization of royal authority.

Congo, Africa, 1st half of the 20th century, h. 34 cm

The post Carved statue, Luba, Congo appeared first on Antikelen.