A pair of African Hornbill Bookends created by hand by the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

These beautiful stone sculptures make wonderful gifts for any occasion & will last a lifetime. Each is an individually created pair - each bird is a unique hornbill.

15cm tall

🦁 African Shona Stone Animal Sculptures

Shona stone animal sculptures are a captivating expression of Zimbabwean artistry, blending ancestral tradition with contemporary craftsmanship. Carved by the Shona people—one of Zimbabwe’s largest ethnic groups—these sculptures reflect a deep spiritual connection to nature and the belief that every stone holds a spirit waiting to be revealed.

🪨 Craftsmanship & Symbolism

•             Material: Sculptors use locally sourced stones like springstone, opalstone, and leopard rock from Zimbabwe’s Great Dyke, chosen for their texture, color, and durability.

•             Process: Artists rarely sketch beforehand. Instead, they let the stone guide the form, often inspired by dreams or ancestral reflection.

•             Themes: Animal figures—such as fish eagles, elephants, and owls—symbolize strength, wisdom, freedom, and community. These motifs are deeply rooted in Shona cosmology and storytelling.

🌟 Benefits of Shona Animal Sculptures

Shona animal sculptures are more than decorative pieces—they’re storytellers in stone, bridging the natural and spiritual worlds.

🪨 Shona
Stone Carving: Zimbabwe’s Living Art Form

The Shona people of Zimbabwe are world-renowned for their expressive stone
sculptures—an art movement that blends ancestral tradition with modern
creativity. Each piece is hand-carved from native stone and often reflects
themes of family, spirituality, and nature.

⛏️ 1.
Sourcing the Stone

• Sculptors
  mine serpentine, springstone, opal stone, and other local varieties
  from open-cast pits.
• Stones
  are chosen for their color, texture, and hardness, often based on
  the artist’s vision.

✏️ 2.
Sketching and Roughing Out

• Artists
  sketch the design directly onto the stone using charcoal.
• Using chisels,
  hammers, and punch tools, they strip away excess rock to reveal the
  basic form.

🪚 3.
Refining the Shape

• The
  sculpture is shaped with files, rasps, and grinders—or just hand
  tools when electricity isn’t available.

Fine details are added gradually, often
inspired by dreams, family stories, or spiritual beliefs

🧽 4. Sanding
and Smoothing

• Wet
  sanding with progressively finer sandpaper brings out the stone’s
  natural luster.
• This
  step is labor-intensive and may be shared among apprentices or family
  members.

🔥 5.
Polishing with Wax

• The
  sculpture is heated over fire or with a blowtorch to open the
  stone’s pores.
• Layers
  of clear wax are applied and buffed as the stone cools, creating a
  rich, glossy finish.

Shona carving isn’t just technique—it’s
storytelling in stone. Artists like Dominic Benhura and Colleen Madamombe have
elevated the form to global acclaim.

Caution – stone is fragile. It can be damaged if not handled
with care.

The stone is 100% natural so it will last generations if
handled with care.

The wax coating can be affected by UV rays from the sun …
should a piece become dull looking or get a scratch, you can let it warm in the
sun and apply a clear ‘carnauba wax’ or clear shoe polish. After applying, let
cool and buff with clean, soft terry cloth to renew the polished finish.

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