Tag: Corrie Brady

Featured: Unique, published example of a stunning Iraqw (Tanzania) beaded hide and fiber skirtFALLS CHURCH, Va. – Quinn’s April 21 Ethnographic Arts Auction, the next specialty event in its popular Collectors Series, shines a spotlight on the art and relics of some of the world’s greatest cultures and civilizations. The curated selection includes antiquities, tribal treasures and ancient art from Asia, Africa and the Americas. Some of the works are “published” examples and many come with provenance from distinguished collections. Iraqw beaded skirt, north-central Tanzania, East Africa, composed of animal hide with beads and natural fibers. Framed size: 61 5/8 x 38¾in (framed). Unique artwork. From the Estate of Dr. Giraud V. Foster, Baltimore, Maryland. Estimate $3,000-$5,000Among the top lots is a stunning Iraqw (north central Tanzania) beaded skirt constructed from natural fibers and animal hide. Iraqw skirts are amongst the most elaborately decorated textiles to emerge from eastern Africa. Each creation is unique, reflecting the skill of the individual maker and the resources available to them. Typically, the skirts consist of four panels made from cow- or goat-hide, with thousands of beads attached using a lazy stitch to create the characteristic long bands and geometric motifs. In historical examples, such as the one offered by Quinn’s, the beads are typically white, red, blue and black, with some to accent in yellow. Those made in later decades incorporate other colors, such as light blue and green. The auction example, which is mounted, framed and estimated at $3,000-$5,000, comes from the Estate of Dr Giraud V Foster of Baltimore, Maryland. A medical doctor, archaeologist, photographer and world traveler, Dr Foster was employed as the personal physician to the last king of Yemen, Al Imam Ahmad bin Yahya Hamiddin. The auction lineup includes several outstanding masks of African tribal origin. A 20th-century Songye Kifwebe mask from