AUCTION OF THE MONTH

18th-19th Sept, Tribal Art & Antiquities, Woolley & Wallis Two-handled bowls made in 400 BC, a M ori tewhatewha club and a Fijian conch shell trumpet. They look like ancient artefacts that should be housed in a museum but are in fact lots due to come up in the forthcoming Tribal Art & Antiquities sale at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury on 18th and 19th September.

This growing collecting field comprises beautiful and extremely old pieces from far-flung corners of the world, and yet is still affordable – most estimates for this sale range from £80-£500. Will Hobbs, Woolley & Wallis’s associate director and tribal art and antiquities specialist, says he has gathered together charming, intriguing and mysterious pieces that have been brought back from indigenous communities around the globe. Some of the lots are from the estate of Ingrid McAlpine, who was a prominent antiquities dealer from the 1970s-90s. ‘We have some lovely little South Italian vessels, which are decorated with owls and from the 4th century BC,’ says Will. ‘There is also a good collection of North American Indian artefacts from an estate in Scotland.’

One of the most exciting lots is the Marquesas Island U’u club, which has an estimate of £10,000-£20,000. ‘It was brought back to northern England in 1836 and has been in the same family ever since, passed from generation to generation,’ says Will. ‘It’s a big war club that would have been used by chiefs or warlords. There are not many of them around.’ Will says that pieces on sale range from those that make sweet decorations around the house, such as the Australian kangaroo bark painting (estimate £800-£1,200), to curious objects that hold interesting stories, such as the Fiji ‘cannibal’ fork. ‘It’s likely a Western misnomer that’s come from stories about ‘savages’ when these were brought back in the 18th and 19th centuries. These forks would have been used for meat, but not necessarily human meat, although this did happen. In ceremonies, no meat was allowed to touch the chief’s lips so he would have people putting it straight into his mouth using this enormous fork. They are great pieces.’ Woolley & Wallis, 51-61 Castle Street, Salisbury, SP1 3SU. 01722 424500; woolleyandwallis.co.uk

FROM LEFT Marquesas Island U’u club; Kuba woman’s skirt from DR Congo; 19th-century Zulu meat platter; Fiji ‘cannibal’ fork. BELOW Rotse bowl and cover from Zambia.