A stone candle holder sculpted by hand by the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

Select either approx 10cm or 8 cm designs

Shona sculpture is more than art—it’s a living tradition that bridges the visible and spiritual worlds, offering beauty, meaning, and impact with every piece. 

🪨 African Shona Stone Sculptures
Shona stone sculpture is one of Africa’s most revered art forms, originating from the Shona people of Zimbabwe. This tradition dates back to the 9th century, with roots in the ancient stonework of Great Zimbabwe—a civilization known for its majestic stone architecture and symbolic carvings.

Artists work with locally sourced stones like serpentine, springstone, and opalstone, often allowing the stone itself to inspire the form. Many sculptors believe the spirit within the stone reveals itself through dreams or meditation.

Each piece is hand-carved using simple tools, and themes often reflect family, nature, mythology, and the spiritual world. The result is a deeply expressive, symbolic art form that speaks to both personal and collective identity.

🌟 Benefits of Shona Stone Sculptures

🪨 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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