OUR COLLECTION — AFRICA — ZIMBABWE 246. SHONA HOLY FAMILY BUST
This bust of the Holy Family was carved by the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The artisan’s name, Shadreck, is carved on the bottom of the bust. The stone is black serpentine. This piece measures 11.25 inches tall and weighs 9 pounds.
All Shona sculpture was made after 1965. Frank McEwan, an Englishman, who was director of the Rhodes National Gallerey in what was then Southern Rhodesia, began an art school in 1956, and in 1965 encouraged the students, who had been painting, to move to stone carving. Now the Shona tribes of Zimbabwe, literally translated as “the house of stone,” are considered by many to be among the world’s finest sculptors. Modern Shona artisans select and quarry their own stones, just as they did thousands of years ago. Statues are hand-carved using simple chisels, polished with sand and beeswax, and heated on a fire to bring out their brilliant colors.
All Shona sculpture was made after 1965. Frank McEwan, an Englishman, who was director of the Rhodes National Gallerey in what was then Southern Rhodesia, began an art school in 1956, and in 1965 encouraged the students, who had been painting, to move to stone carving. Now the Shona tribes of Zimbabwe, literally translated as “the house of stone,” are considered by many to be among the world’s finest sculptors. Modern Shona artisans select and quarry their own stones, just as they did thousands of years ago. Statues are hand-carved using simple chisels, polished with sand and beeswax, and heated on a fire to bring out their brilliant colors.