Wood carvings - African wood carvings buying tips

CARE OF YOUR AFRICAN ARTWORK
Now that you have bought your African ebony sculpture, you may wonder how to take care of this unique piece of African art.
Not to worry, it is easy and simple and we will show you.

Short tips before buying African sculpture

Make sure the artwork is dry (free from moisture). If not, it will crack and mould later.
For pure black wood carvings. Confirm if you are buying a dyed wooden artwork or real ebony. Ebony wood is very expensive and some traders may disguise commercially dyed wood for ebony.

Know the history behind the artwork.
Are you purchasing an African antique or is it a curio or tourist handicraft? Or is it a unique piece of art (original artwork)?
All these serve as a raw guide to having a rough estimate of the worth of the artwork and also the implications/bureaucracies that may be involved in transporting such works of art to you.
As of now, export of antiques from most West African countries, especially the Benin Kingdom is tightly controlled and traders must have a special permit as well as clearance from the commission of museums and monuments certifying that the items are not works of antiquity.
Anyway, as this site deals with contemporary African art and not African antiques, there may be no need to extensively describe the details of such kinds of purchase. You can feel free however to request for information and/or guidance if you intend making such buys.
Buy African carvings from someone experienced in the trade.

CARE
1. Get a piece of clean cloth. Dampen lightly with water.
2. Place the cloth on your right palm and hold the artwork (depending on size) in/on your left palm.
3. Fold the cloth in-between your palm and the carving and clean, in a cylindrical manner. Up and down.
4. Leave a few minutes to dry.
5. Apply polish with a soft cloth or applicator.
6. Brush briskly until shine returns.

With these few simple steps you can elongate the life of your ebony wood sculpture.

Accepted

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contact@cedarartworld.com Tel: +46 736317272