Zaramo Carved Wooden Hair Pick — Tanzania Anthropomorphic head finial · Single spike · Cross-hatch handle carving · Acquired mid-1990s
A finely carved wooden hair pick from the Zaramo people of Tanzania, featuring a small anthropomorphic head at the top — a sculptural tradition central to Zaramo artistic identity, in which human figures carry protective and ancestral resonance. Despite its modest size, the carving of the head displays the quiet authority typical of Zaramo figurative work.
Below the head, a short handle is decorated with crisp incised cross-hatch carving, providing both grip and ornament. The single elongated spike is well-formed and purposeful, characteristic of picks used for styling and dressing hair — personal grooming objects that among the Zaramo were often invested with aesthetic care well beyond their practical function.
Purchased in the mid-1990s and dating from the 20th century, this is a refined and collectible small-scale piece, ideal for collectors of African tribal art, ethnographic personal objects, or Zaramo figurative carving. Item details
Origin: Tanzania People: Zaramo Date: 20th century Acquired: Mid-1990s Type: Hair pick (single spike) Finial: Anthropomorphic head Material: Wood Decoration: Cross-hatch carving on handle
Please examine all photographs carefully before bidding. Item sold as described.