“The old monkey now needs help from the youngsters because it cannot reach wild fruits to eat and it cannot steal maize cobs because the farmers will catch it.”
This charming sculpture is by Sylvester Mubayi, who is one of the last surviving artists of ‘first generation’ of Zimbabwe’s Shona sculpture movement.
It is being offered for sale on behalf of a private collector. The current owner acquired it in 2005 from the estate of Lady Walston. Prior to her death, the piece was part of Henry, Baron Walston and Lady Walston’s substantial art collection displayed in their home near Bath. The piece dates from circa 1985.
Sylvester has signed it on the base. It has been fully restored by Guruve and is in perfect condition. A letter of provenance from the seller and our certificate of authenticity accompanies the piece.
This glorious bright green stone is verdite, a very hard and expensive semi-precious stone. It is much prized by Zimbabwean sculptors for its beautiful deep green colour. The purple mineral corundum is embedded in the verdite. The colour and texture of this particular example are very attractive, and draw you in – it’s lovely to touch as well as to look at.
It is located in the UK and will be shipped from there; P&P at buyer’s expense.
