Exotic wood panel, bas-relief carving, East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda), 20th century

Panel of exotic hardwood, carved in bas-relief with a rustic tropical scene, East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda), 20th century.
Dimensions: 19 x 30 cm
State of preservation: Relatively good; it shows traces of wear in the upper left area, but with no major loss of material

The composition shows a tropical rural scene with a cart drawn by an ox (a zebu, a species characterised by a prominent hump), driven by a man in a broad-brimmed hat, while another figure, apparently naked or scantily dressed, stands in the cart. The background is dominated by luxuriant vegetation of palms and tropical trees, all treated in a decorative register.

The relief is flat, of moderate depth, and the edges are framed by an incised geometric border characteristic of the decorative craftwork of the tropical region. The manner of representation is symbolic and stylised, with simplified proportions and minimised but expressive detail.