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Verdite Sculpture of Native Zulu Chief

Currency:USD Category:Art Start Price:7,200.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Verdite Sculpture of Native Zulu Chief
From Call of Africa, this donation is an incredibly detailed and beautiful original verdite sculpture by renowned Zimbabwean sculptor James Tandi. The sculpture measures 20"h x 11"l x 10"w and depicts native Zulu chief Dingane kaSenzangakhona Zulu (ca. 1795–1840) – commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan.

Dingane was a Zulu chief who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828 after assassinating his half-brother Shaka with the help of another brother. They were traditionally said to have killed Shaka because of his increasingly brutal behavior after the death of his mother Nandi. The assassination took place at present-day Stanger. Some modern historians have assessed Dingane as the king responsible for the decline of the Zulu military superiority in southern Africa. He was a popular leader among the people and came into power at a challenging time; the fall of the Zulu kingdom to the European colonists might have occurred even under Shaka's rule, as numerous ethnic European colonists were entering the area from the Cape Colony, and they possessed guns and weaponry far superior to the Zulu spear.

In November 1837, Dingane met with Piet Retief, leader of the Voortrekkers. In return for their recovering some stolen cattle, Dingane signed a deed of cession of lands (written in English) to the Voortrekkers. After two days of feasting, on 6 February 1838, the chief had Retief and his diplomatic party killed. At the same time, Dingane's forces ambushed and killed Retief's trek party, about 500 Boers, including men, women and children. The Boers called this the Weenen massacre. The nearby present-day town of Weenen (Dutch for "weeping") was named by early settlers in memory of the massacre.

Dingane also ordered his army to seek and kill the group of Voortrekkers under Andries Pretorius. The Zulu impis attacked the Voortrekker encampment, but they were crushingly defeated in the ensuing Battle of Blood River. An estimated 3,000 Zulus were killed, while three Voortrekkers were slightly wounded. Dingane's commander at the battle was Ndlela kaSompisi.

In January 1840, Pretorius and a force of 400 Boers helped Mpande in his revolt against Dingane, which resulted in the latter's overthrow and death. At the Battle of Maqongqo many of Dingane's own men deserted to Mpande's army. Dingane had his general Ndlela kaSompisi executed. With a few followers he sought refuge in Nayawo territory on the Lubombo mountains. A group of Nyawo and Swazi assassinated Dingane in Hlatikhulu Forest.

He was succeeded by Mpande as king, who was half-brother to both Dingane and Shaka. His grave is in the near Ingwavuma in the Hlatikulu Forest - an hour drive from Tembe elephant park.

Sculptor James Tandi continues to amaze collectors and critics alike with his masterful sculptures of Africa’s native people and wildlife. Under the tutelage of his older brother, Nicholas Tandi, James quickly showed a natural talent for sculpting. James works in the classical method using hammer and chisel to beautifully capture the native African people and indigenous wildlife of southern Africa in verdite.

Known as the “green stone of Africa”, verdite is highly sought-after by artists. Only the more experienced sculptor will dare to sculpt from this hard stone. Verdite rates between a 7.0 and a 9.0 on the universally-used Mohs hardness scale (hardness depends on the amount of Corundum industrial ruby inclusions in the particular piece of stone). Verdite’s color is unique in that it boasts an emerald-looking quality with beautiful brown, blue, and green striations. Verdite is fast becoming rare, and is difficult to find.

Each sculpture begins with James visiting the verdite mine, where he selects his own stone. Unlike marble, which can be cut to accommodate the subject of the sculpture, verdite comes from the mine in a variety of shapes which will invariably dictate what will be created. James refers to this process as “revealing the spirit which is within the stone”. After painstakingly removing layer upon layer of stone and carving each minute detail, the sculpture is wet-sanded and fired to a high temperature before applying stone wax. Each piece is then hand-polished to a beautiful luster.

James has participated in international one-man and group exhibitions. His list of collectors has grown steadily over the years, and his works can be found in both African and North American museums.

http://nativevisions.com

Value: $11,999