From scintillating white granites to brilliant serpentines - reds, greens, maroons, grays, yellows, and vibrant oranges - the stone of Zimbabwe is a visual catalog of incredible mineral wealth. More than 250 specific ores and combinations of serpentine have been identified in Zimbabwe. It is the complex combination of these minerals that create the colorful palette so unique to Zimbabwean carving stone.

Artists use locally found stone in Zimbabwe with the most common being Serpentine. Other stones include Opalstone, Verdite, Red Sandstone and Soapstone etc. Depending on the colour, striations and contours of the stone, the artist during sculpting develops a relationship with the stone and depending on the form, carves a sculpture without sketches or drawings. Quintessentially, the stone dictates to the artist the subject that will emerge from within its core. The tools used are simply a hammer, chisel, file, water and sandpaper. Once the sculpture has been carved it is placed in a fire where the stone is heated. The final finishing stage is to apply a clear wax polish which melts and absorbs into the stone, bringing out the stone’s rich deep luster and colour.

butter jade

Butter Jade has a creamy yellow colour with dark striations throughout and is sometimes also known as Butterstone. Although it is called 'Jade', it is not however a true Jade. The striations found in the attractive yellow-green sedimentary rock are actually layers containing fossilized algae. The stone is typically around 50 million years old and between 6 and 7 on Moh's hardness scale.

cobalt

Cobalt is a brittle, relatively rare hard metal, closely resembling iron and nickel in appearance. It has a hardness of between 5 and 6 on Moh's scale.

leopard stone

Leopard Stone (not to be confused with Leopard Skin stone from the Jasper family) is a variant of the Quartz family and typically has a striking pattern of dark and light green mottling. On the Mohs hardness scale Leopard Stone varies between 6.5 and 7.0

opalstone/lemon opalstone

Opalstone is famous for it’s milky light coloured greens and smooth texture. It is also unique in that it has fewer colour variations than Serpentine. It is also known as Opalite to the locals and is mined at Chiweshe, two hours north of Harare. This stone is one of the favourites of carvers, as it’s not as hard as springstone and other serpentines, but still polishes to a high finish. Opalstone also has, at times, a brown colour throughout the predominate green. The appearance can be smooth or mottled. As with most of the stones mined for the purpose of sculpting, opalite is mined without the use of power tools. Lemon Opalstone is easily identified by contrasting yellow striations within the stone. On the Mohs hardness scale, Opalstone rates between 5.0-5.5. Opalstone is also found in Australia and Mexico.

serpentine/black serpentine/fruit serpentine

Serpentine is the next hardest stone with a rating of 4.0-5.0 on Mohs hardness scale. Black Iron Serpentine derives it’s name from the deposits of iron found in it and is one of the hardest and darkest stones found in Zimbabwe. It has the most amazing black lustress finish that resembles the black opal and is highly sought after because of it’s fine finish, durability and hardness.

red jasper

Red Jasper is composed of Silicon Dioxide and like other Jaspers tends to be more colorful, more opaque and massive, lacking patterns. It is found commonly throughout the world and on the Moh’s Hardness Scale rates a 6 – 7. Red Jasper is thought to bring emotional balance and soothes heart-aches.

red sandstone

Red Sandstone also referred to as “Africa’s Red Jasper” because of its shiny red finish is a beautiful earth-tone sandstone comprised of layers of quartz, clay and iron deposits. On the Mohs hardness scale it rates between -4.0-4.5 depending on its iron deposits and quartz.

soapstone (steatite)

Soapstone is a natural soft stone and is sometimes referred to as Rapoko stone in Zimbabwe depending on it’s colours. It’s remarkable qualities have made soapstone one of the most widely used art minerals on earth. In Zimbabwe, one of the many places where high quality soapstone is found is the Mashava mine. Mashava is in the Masvingo district, 5 hours south of Harare. As with all the stones used for sculpturing, except the semi-precious Verdite, Soapstone is mined with crow bars, picks and shovels only. Although somewhat soft, soapstone is a very dense stone and is denser than marble, slate, limestone and even granite. If anything is spilled on the stone, it will remain on the surface of the stone, and not penetrate the surface. Soapstone is found on every continent in the world and has been used by native people all over the world for thousands of years. Items have been found in igloos as far north as the Artic, the tombs of Pharaohs, palaces of China and India, mountains and valleys of the arid plains of Africa. It’s mineral composition is 40-50% Talc, 40-50% magnesite and 5-8% penninite.

springstone

Springstone is one of the hardest stones used for sculpturing in Zimbabwe. There are a few mines where this stone is found, but Guruve, in the north, is where springstone is mined. A beautiful dark stone, it polishes to a high shine because of it’s density. A feature of this stone, is often, it will have a softer brown layer, which adds to the appeal. As with most other stones that are mined for the purpose of sculpturing, this stone is mined by hand on communal lands.

verdite/golden verdite

Verdite has a unique Emerald looking quality with brown and green striations and is known as “Green Gold” because it is a semi-precious stone which is unfortunately becoming rare and therefore increasingly more valuable. It is a hard stone and only the more experienced sculptor will dare to sculpt it. On the Mohs hardness scale Verdite rates between 7.0-9.0.

Stone type and it’s influence on the price of a sculpture

The value of a sculpture is determined firstly by the hardness of the stone chosen. The harder the stone, the more time it takes to carve and the more expensive it is to purchase. Thus, for example, the price of a pice of artwork in Verdite will be multiples of an equivalent pice in Soapstone. Please see the graphic below for a summary of the stone types.

The types of wood used in Shona Sculptures

ironwood

Ironwood is rated as being very durable and has a deep reddish brown or dark red color. A wide variety of African trees and shrubs that have exceptionally hard or dense wood are commonly called Ironwood. Due to it’s density, Ironwood is extremely difficult to carve and therefore sculptures in this wood are highly prized by collectors.

ebony

This wood is famous for it’s black lustrous beauty and artworks in this wood are highly sort after by collectors. It is a very dense wood with a dark interlocking grain and is normally brown on the outside of the tree and black on the inside. This is a tropical tree and can carry different fruits and flowers. The fruits of this tree are edible and some species produce a milky latex that was used before natural rubber was discovered.

african teak

African Teak is also known as ‘Zimbabwean Teak’ or ‘Red Jarra’ and is often described as an attractive reddish brown wood with irregular dark brown or black lines or flecks. It is a very heavy and hard wood, with a high resistance to abrasion. It is well known for it’s bending and crushing strength, stability in service and decay resistance.

mukwa

Mukwa is only found in Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. It has variable colors such as a pale uniform brown, chocolate brown, brick red or purplish brown and golden brown. The texture is medium to coarse with a grain straight to interlocked. When drying it does not warp and has no tendency to split.



	Press History Types of Stone Types of Wood Our Carvers

	What the Press says ... ‘Shona sculpture is perhaps the most important new art form to emerge from Africa in this century.’ —Newsweek, New York ‘...unlike art found in much of the rest of Africa, Shona sculpture ... has become a wholly indigenous modern art form created exclusively as a form of artistic expression.’ —New York Times, New York ‘There is a widespread assumption today that art must necessarily be international. …. But against this trend one finds isolated pockets of resistance, which suggest that good art can (perhaps must) be a local affair – the product of a particular place and culture. And of the one of the most remarkable in the contemporary world is the last 30 years …. placed beside the dismal stuff so beloved of the international art bureaucracy – as they were in the 1990 Biennale – these African carvings shine out in a desolate world.’ —Sunday Telegraph, London ‘Picasso was an admirer of early Shona sculpture; now evidence is surfacing that he was influenced by it, too.’ —Town & Country Magazine, London ‘The world's best unrecognized sculptors.’ —The Economist, London ‘This is the birth of a great national art, capable of speaking about the whole of Creation, from personal and family to the world of spirit, soul and self. It is a thrilling adventure of contemporary art.’ —Arts Review, London ‘During the past decade, Zimbabwe Shona Sculpture has become the most collected form of African art. It has found it’s way into important repositories such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Rodin Museum, and into the homes of the Rockefellers, the Prince of Wales and Sir Richard Attenborough.’ —The Oregonian ‘If the perfection of art is measured purely by emotional expressive power, then this art is beyond perfection.’ —West Indian World ‘It is extraordinary to think that of the ten leading sculpture carvers in the world, perhaps five come from one single African tribe, the Shona. These marvelous Shona sculptors from Zimbabwe speak for Africa but they also speak for us all; they restore a dignity to art which it is in danger of losing.’ — The ‘Sunday Telegraph’ art critic ‘Now that Henry Moore is dead, who is the greatest stone carver in the world. In my experience there are three outstanding contenders. And all three come from Zimbabwe.’ — Michael Shepherd, Art Review ‘This art has meaning. This art is imbued with extraordinary, intense spirituality. It will get in you and work on you forever.’ — Frank McEwan, First Director, National Gallery of Zimbabwe
	History of the Shona Tribe and their Art The Shona are the oldest tribe in Zimbabwe and are believed to be the legendary guardians of King Solomon’s mines. The city of Great Zimbabwe is constructed with tight-fitting granite blocks without the use of mortar. The complex of ruins from which the modern nation of Zimbabwe took it’s name is derived from the Shona word “dzimba dza mabwe” meaning ‘House of Stone’. The large stone walls of this city were built for the King and also for defense. At the start of the 15th century, Great Zimbabwe had about 10-20,000 inhabitants and was at its cultural height. Each of the monoliths surrounding the city once bore a carved Zimbabwe bird, which symbolized power and is now a famous Zimbabwean symbol often carved by the Shona people. The Shona stone carvers are known as the “People of the Mist”. Within the remote Inyanga Mountains an ethereal mist leads and guides them through their quest. Their religion is very spiritual and they believe in two kinds of spirits – Shave spirits and the Vadzimu spirits which are considered to be ancestoral spirits. The people also believe in good and bad spirits, the bad spirits have to do with witchcraft while the good spirits may inspire individual talents along with healing, music or artistic ability. They use witchcraft and traditional dances to summon the spirits of their ancestors. In Shona sculptures, the artist expresses the fundamental relationships between two guiding forces of Shona life, this being the visible physical world and the unseen spiritual world that exists in various cultures. The stone carvers believe that every rock contains a spirit essence that influences how the stone will be shaped and transformed during carving. The stone sculptures produced by these artists display great individuality of form and content. Every piece is an original and is valued by the astute collector. The art is extremely seductive and amazingly beautiful with each stone containing rich colours and textures which invite one to explore and touch visually, emotionally and intellectually. For the most-part, Shona sculptors are self-taught and their artistic skill has impressed art collectors and dealers whenever they have been first exposed to it. There is mounting evidence that the presence of Shona sculpture in the 20th century began not in the 1950s as is popularly believed, but as early as the turn of the century. Joram Mariga who learned sculpting from his father and brothers in the 1930s, recalls being intrigued by a piece of bright green soapstone he found in the fields of Nyanga. He started to carve the stone for the very first time and said his sculptures were little things to please himself. A few years later he was introduced to Frank McEwen who became the Director of the National Gallery of what was then known as Southern Rhodesia. McEwen said Joram Mariga ‘brought him a little milk jug carved from soapstone and realized it was an English milk jug for an Englishman who loved his tea’. McEwen then asked Joram if he could carve a head and when he brought the head it was also made for an Englishman. McEwen said ‘If you made a figure for your own family or your ancestors, what would it look like? Oh, that would be different’ said Joram. This time he brought back a head of pure African concept, with an enlarged head, seat of the spirit, a frontal static pose, a visage staring into eternity with formally posed arms and clenched fists, it was in nature, pre-Columbian. Evidence such as this gives credence to the theory of Shona Sculpture existing before McEwen arrived on the scene to initiate a new art form and in the 1950s encouraged a creative phenomenon that was already in process. Shona sculptors use locally found stone and have become some of the most creative artists of our time. These stone sculptures are only found and carved in Zimbabwe which continues to be the centre for stone sculpture in Africa.
	The Types of Stone used in Shona Sculptures Introduction From scintillating white granites to brilliant serpentines - reds, greens, maroons, grays, yellows, and vibrant oranges - the stone of Zimbabwe is a visual catalog of incredible mineral wealth. More than 250 specific ores and combinations of serpentine have been identified in Zimbabwe. It is the complex combination of these minerals that create the colorful palette so unique to Zimbabwean carving stone. Artists use locally found stone in Zimbabwe with the most common being Serpentine. Other stones include Opalstone, Verdite, Red Sandstone and Soapstone etc. Depending on the colour, striations and contours of the stone, the artist during sculpting develops a relationship with the stone and depending on the form, carves a sculpture without sketches or drawings. Quintessentially, the stone dictates to the artist the subject that will emerge from within its core. The tools used are simply a hammer, chisel, file, water and sandpaper. Once the sculpture has been carved it is placed in a fire where the stone is heated. The final finishing stage is to apply a clear wax polish which melts and absorbs into the stone, bringing out the stone’s rich deep luster and colour. butter jade Butter Jade has a creamy yellow colour with dark striations throughout and is sometimes also known as Butterstone. Although it is called 'Jade', it is not however a true Jade. The striations found in the attractive yellow-green sedimentary rock are actually layers containing fossilized algae. The stone is typically around 50 million years old and between 6 and 7 on Moh's hardness scale. cobalt Cobalt is a brittle, relatively rare hard metal, closely resembling iron and nickel in appearance. It has a hardness of between 5 and 6 on Moh's scale. leopard stone Leopard Stone (not to be confused with Leopard Skin stone from the Jasper family) is a variant of the Quartz family and typically has a striking pattern of dark and light green mottling. On the Mohs hardness scale Leopard Stone varies between 6.5 and 7.0 opalstone/lemon opalstone Opalstone is famous for it’s milky light coloured greens and smooth texture. It is also unique in that it has fewer colour variations than Serpentine. It is also known as Opalite to the locals and is mined at Chiweshe, two hours north of Harare. This stone is one of the favourites of carvers, as it’s not as hard as springstone and other serpentines, but still polishes to a high finish. Opalstone also has, at times, a brown colour throughout the predominate green. The appearance can be smooth or mottled. As with most of the stones mined for the purpose of sculpting, opalite is mined without the use of power tools. Lemon Opalstone is easily identified by contrasting yellow striations within the stone. On the Mohs hardness scale, Opalstone rates between 5.0-5.5. Opalstone is also found in Australia and Mexico. serpentine/black serpentine/fruit serpentine Serpentine is the next hardest stone with a rating of 4.0-5.0 on Mohs hardness scale. Black Iron Serpentine derives it’s name from the deposits of iron found in it and is one of the hardest and darkest stones found in Zimbabwe. It has the most amazing black lustress finish that resembles the black opal and is highly sought after because of it’s fine finish, durability and hardness. red jasper Red Jasper is composed of Silicon Dioxide and like other Jaspers tends to be more colorful, more opaque and massive, lacking patterns. It is found commonly throughout the world and on the Moh’s Hardness Scale rates a 6 – 7. Red Jasper is thought to bring emotional balance and soothes heart-aches. red sandstone Red Sandstone also referred to as “Africa’s Red Jasper” because of its shiny red finish is a beautiful earth-tone sandstone comprised of layers of quartz, clay and iron deposits. On the Mohs hardness scale it rates between -4.0-4.5 depending on its iron deposits and quartz. soapstone (steatite) Soapstone is a natural soft stone and is sometimes referred to as Rapoko stone in Zimbabwe depending on it’s colours. It’s remarkable qualities have made soapstone one of the most widely used art minerals on earth. In Zimbabwe, one of the many places where high quality soapstone is found is the Mashava mine. Mashava is in the Masvingo district, 5 hours south of Harare. As with all the stones used for sculpturing, except the semi-precious Verdite, Soapstone is mined with crow bars, picks and shovels only. Although somewhat soft, soapstone is a very dense stone and is denser than marble, slate, limestone and even granite. If anything is spilled on the stone, it will remain on the surface of the stone, and not penetrate the surface. Soapstone is found on every continent in the world and has been used by native people all over the world for thousands of years. Items have been found in igloos as far north as the Artic, the tombs of Pharaohs, palaces of China and India, mountains and valleys of the arid plains of Africa. It’s mineral composition is 40-50% Talc, 40-50% magnesite and 5-8% penninite. springstone Springstone is one of the hardest stones used for sculpturing in Zimbabwe. There are a few mines where this stone is found, but Guruve, in the north, is where springstone is mined. A beautiful dark stone, it polishes to a high shine because of it’s density. A feature of this stone, is often, it will have a softer brown layer, which adds to the appeal. As with most other stones that are mined for the purpose of sculpturing, this stone is mined by hand on communal lands. verdite/golden verdite Verdite has a unique Emerald looking quality with brown and green striations and is known as “Green Gold” because it is a semi-precious stone which is unfortunately becoming rare and therefore increasingly more valuable. It is a hard stone and only the more experienced sculptor will dare to sculpt it. On the Mohs hardness scale Verdite rates between 7.0-9.0. Stone type and it’s influence on the price of a sculpture The value of a sculpture is determined firstly by the hardness of the stone chosen. The harder the stone, the more time it takes to carve and the more expensive it is to purchase. Thus, for example, the price of a pice of artwork in Verdite will be multiples of an equivalent pice in Soapstone. Please see the graphic below for a summary of the stone types. The types of wood used in Shona Sculptures ironwood Ironwood is rated as being very durable and has a deep reddish brown or dark red color. A wide variety of African trees and shrubs that have exceptionally hard or dense wood are commonly called Ironwood. Due to it’s density, Ironwood is extremely difficult to carve and therefore sculptures in this wood are highly prized by collectors. ebony This wood is famous for it’s black lustrous beauty and artworks in this wood are highly sort after by collectors. It is a very dense wood with a dark interlocking grain and is normally brown on the outside of the tree and black on the inside. This is a tropical tree and can carry different fruits and flowers. The fruits of this tree are edible and some species produce a milky latex that was used before natural rubber was discovered. african teak African Teak is also known as ‘Zimbabwean Teak’ or ‘Red Jarra’ and is often described as an attractive reddish brown wood with irregular dark brown or black lines or flecks. It is a very heavy and hard wood, with a high resistance to abrasion. It is well known for it’s bending and crushing strength, stability in service and decay resistance. mukwa Mukwa is only found in Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. It has variable colors such as a pale uniform brown, chocolate brown, brick red or purplish brown and golden brown. The texture is medium to coarse with a grain straight to interlocked. When drying it does not warp and has no tendency to split.
	Our Featured Carvers For a full list of our Featured Artists, please click here.
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What the Press says ...

History of the Shona Tribe and their Art

The Types of Stone used in Shona Sculptures

Introduction