Bronze
Dimensions: 620 mm high x 630 mm x 460 mm
Edition: Series of 15

2 files, last one added on Nov 10, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 1,2 m high
Edition: Series of 15

The novel She, by the author Ryder Haggard, inspired this sculpture. Ayesha, a former priestess of Isis in an Egyptian temple, received the gift of everlasting life from Isis, in return for services granted. She later became the queen and ruler of an African tribe.

She is depicted while standing in the flames of the sacred fire that bestows everlasting life and youth and does not burn or scald. For this ritual she is standing on an altar that is adorned with a combination of Egyptian and ethnic African symbols. Her posture, bent over backwards, signifies a spiritual communication with a higher entity - she is receiving godly graces. Ayesha's hair is very long and accentuated, like the description in the novel. She fastened it with a clip in the form of a two-headed snake, similar to the snakes on the altar.

8 files, last one added on Feb 05, 2011

2 files, last one added on Feb 10, 2011

This sculpture depicts the biblical Bathsheba, wife of King David and mother of King Solomon. According to the story told in 2 Samuel 11-12 King David saw Bathsheba taking a bath while he was standing on the roof of the palace. She was beautiful and he fell in love with her. He arranged her husband's slaying on the battlefield and married Bathsheba.
Tienie captured that famous moment when Bathsheba stepped into the bath and King David spotted her from his palace roof.

6 files, last one added on Feb 10, 2011

2 files, last one added on Nov 10, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 0,6m High x 0,6m x 1.1m
Edition: Series of Fifteen
Fabled for her sexual allure and cunning intelligence, Cleopatra VII of Egypt has fascinated generations of admirers and detractors since her tumultuous life ended in suicide. She was born in 69 B.C. and was the last of the Ptolemaic monarchs who had ruled Egypt as Hellenistic Greek pharaohs for 300 years.
Tienie portrayed Cleopatra as queen reclining on the royal sofa, protected by the wings of Isis, the principal goddess of ancient Egypt. The sacred scarabs, representing the sun god, roll the sun from East to West and back again, ensuring that it will rise again so that she may reign yet another day. The sphinxes at the back of the sofa are a fusion of ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures. Tienie used his artistic freedom to illustrate Cleopatra’s original Greek descent as well as her Egyptian heritage.

8 files, last one added on Nov 10, 2009

1 files, last one added on Nov 12, 2009

FALLEN ANGEL 2010
Dimensions: 55 cm high x 86 cm x 68 cm

In this sculpture Tienie depicted a fall from grace. It is the exact moment when one has to acknowlegde that he or she has made a mistake, the cognition of lapsus. That moment when you are confronted with failure, not knowing yet how to react, but accepting that it will result in reprobation. Tienie used the fallen angel to symbolize this concept., because it is such a perfect example of our collective fallibility and the resulting emotion when you realize that you can not undo your wrong-doing.

4 files, last one added on Sep 18, 2011

Bronze
Dimensions: 720 mm x 720 mm x 730 mm
Edition: Series of 15

On a visit to the Kruger National Park in 1986, Tienie had the rare privilege to see two sable bulls fighting in the mud on the shore of the Shitlave Dam near Pretorius Kop. He watched them for a long time through his binoculars, until they moved further away and out of sight. It was so energetic, forceful and almost desperate that it left a lasting impression. When Tienie got back home, he could not wait to immortalize them in a clay composition.

1 files, last one added on Oct 30, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 130 mm high x 350 mm x 180 mm
Edition: Series of 15

The sculpture was modeled in 1971. It is a study intended for marble carving. Many of Tienie's earlier works were closed compositions and modeled with stone carving in view as final medium. The work symbolizes the feeling of being rejected and left in the lurch.

2 files, last one added on Nov 05, 2009

Gift of Flight
Flight of the Phoenix
Dimensions: Two Sizes - 1,7m High and
73cm High

The sculpture portrays the bird goddess releasing the mythological sun bird phoenix, thereby giving birth to another day.

In the symbolism of ancient Egypt, the phoenix represented the rising sun which is reborn every morning after dying or disappearing at night. The phoenix is the Egyptian hieroglyph for the sun.

In the early symbolism of the Chritian faith, the phoenix stands for resurrection and immortality.

7 files, last one added on Jun 21, 2010

Bronze
Dimensions: 360 mm high x 620 mm x 200 mm
Edition: Series of 15

This sculpture was the result of Tienie’s love for everything pertaining to Africa. It forms part of a recurring theme in Tienie’s work – the interdependency and interconnectedness between man and animal. During the 19th century, the ivory trade blossomed and more and more elephants were hunted by professional hunters in the interior of the African bush. A growing demand arose for reliable porters to carry the ivory from the interior to the port of Zanzibar where it was auctioned and shipped to various parts of the world. Such demands were met at the turn of the 19th century by the Swahili tribes, descendants of the Arabs and Kikuyu tribe of Kenya.
The Swahili porters depicted here were trained to carry the ivory for miles on end. During the short rest they were granted, the load was shifted in disciplined military style from the left to the right shoulder. The loincloths around their waists also served as sleeping mats during the night. They carried knob-kieries to protect themselves against wild animals.

2 files, last one added on Nov 12, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 1,3 meters high
Edition: Series of 15

The Joan of Arc that Tienie portrayed is her spiritual being, relieved of her earthly burdens after her execution by burning at the stake. She is liberated and victorious, assuming the saintly identity she will be commemorated for. The nudity of the sculpture is symbolic of this spiritual liberation. It is also a celebration of her femininity. During her trial her preference for male attire was controversial. The nudity of the sculpture is a revelation of the true Joan, stripped of the attire she wore as a means of protection, but which ironically proved to be the final point upon which she was branded a heretic and condemned.

9 files, last one added on Nov 14, 2009

Clay model
Dimensions: 600 mm x 750 mm x 200 mm
Edition: Edition of 15

1 files, last one added on Oct 30, 2009

Dimensions: Slightly bigger than half life size

The sculpture depicts a slave market somewhere in the Orient round about 1800, where an Arab slave trader puts his ware up for sale. His target market is the Sultans, who bought female slaves for their harems, to serve as concubines or who might be lucky enough to become one of his wives. The women are from different nations and races - Muslim society was not race or colour conscious. The women differ further in age and physique. They are real people from different walks of life, captured and carried away from their homes and loved ones. They are all resigned to their fate, inwardly battling the humiliation, hurt and shame. Although they are sharing the same predicament, everyone's attention is turned inwardly, each one solitary in the contemplation of her own sorrow. The standing girl is the youngest and the prime exhibit of the day. She is from Abyssinian origin, a firm favourite under slave traders because of their women's reputed beauty. Abyssinian slaves were much sought after and fetched high prices.

116 files, last one added on Nov 12, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 1,4m high
Edition: Series of Fifteen

This work illustrates a favourite theme in Tienie’s work namely the interdependence and symbiosis between man and animal. The mermaid not only interacts with the dolphins, but she is also a mythological being where man’s feeling of kinship with animals results in an imaginative physical fusion between man and animal.

3 files, last one added on Nov 26, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions:
Edition: Series of Fifteen
Morgan le Fay is a multidimensional character with her roots in Celtic mythology. Since her conception in human consciousness, her character has evolved from benevolent goddess to sorceress to wise woman.
Tienie’s Morgan le Fay is the half-sister of King Arthur of the round table. She is an enchantress, a healer, a persona from the fairy realm with the power to perform magic. She learns her magic from the famous Merlin. The raven on her arm is her scout that she sends out. He flies around the world and reports back to her, informing her of everything she needs to know. The raven is a popular creature in ancient mythology. It is an extremely intelligent bird, bigger than the crow, only to be found in the northern hemisphere.
Morgan le Fay has touches of evil and she uses her magic to plot against King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but she is also the one who takes Arthur to the magical isle of Avalon when he is mortally wounded. There she tends to his wounds, promising to use her healing power to restore him to life.
Tienie‘s daughter Milla posed for this sculpture. She chose to be portrayed as Morgan le Fay, because of the interesting duality in Morgan’s character, her healing power and her resourcefulness

4 files, last one added on Nov 12, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 720 mm high x 530 mm x 560 mm
Edition: Series of 15

Ndlovunkulu is the name given to Shaka, King of the Zulus, by his underlings. Shaka reigned the Zulu people in Africa in the nineteenth century.

The sculpture shows the king seated on his throne at the height of his power in 1820. In his right hand he is holding the short stabbing assegai called the iklwa, a name given to imitate the sound that was made when the weapon was withdrawn from the body after the victim had been stabbed. The assegai was designed by the king himself and was to replace the old fashioned throwing assegai.

Shaka is wearing his ceremonial dress with the common leg trappings that was made from ox tails. The blue crane feather on his head was worn exclusively by the monarch and served to make him recognizable whilst engaged in battle.

In his ears he is wearing ornaments made from dried sugar cane. They were let into the lobes of the ears that had been cut to admit them.

The elephant tusks shown on the throne serve as a symbol of prosperity. The wildebeest skulls were displayed as a sign of recognition and respect for their ancestors.

3 files, last one added on Nov 12, 2009

Dimensions: 30cm High
Series of 15

5 files, last one added on Jun 21, 2010

Bronze
Dimensions: 900 mm high x 260 mm x 260 mm
Edition: Edition of 15

The Indian in the sculpture is from the Sioux tribe who lived in North America in the nineteenth century.

The sculpture was inspired by the art of the American artist Frederick Remington who painted Indians at the height of their culture.

The Indian is holding a buffalo skull above his head and is calling to the spirits to restore the buffalo that was exterminated by the white Americans during the time of the American-Indian wars. The Indians were dependant on the buffalo for their food, clothing and shelter. They were finally defeated when the buffalo disappeared.

4 files, last one added on Nov 05, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 170 mm high x 350 mm x 530 mm
Edition: Series of 15

The sculpture was modeled in 1976. It portrays the subconscious wish to return to the mother's womb for the security and safety provided there. The foetal position is symbolic of a sense of vulnerability and insecurity.

2 files, last one added on Nov 05, 2009

Dimensions: 70cm High
Series of 15

6 files, last one added on Jun 21, 2010

Bronze
Dimensions: 1,47 m high x 1,085 m x 500 mm
Edition: Series of 15

The sculpture, modeled in 2004, depicts the events that took place in the palace of Herod Antipas in Machaerus, Palestine on Feast Day, 24th June 30 A.D. Herod was entertaining guests to celebrate his birthday. The date is inscribed on the bronze podium of the sculpture.

Salome concludes her victorious dance after receiving the head of John the Baptist on a tray with a triumphant stance, pointing her toes on the severed head of John the Baptist. The head is covered with a cape and modeled in an upright position to create a resigned and spiritual serenity for John in death. It stands in stark contrast to Salome's sensual and exuberant stance, which is the finale of her performance.

8 files, last one added on Nov 12, 2009

Tienie modelled the original sculpture in 1969 during his initial year as professional sculptor in his Hennops River studio. In 2008 he changed the sculpture by remodelling the shoulders and adding the surrounding rock.

9 files, last one added on Dec 01, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: Life size
Edition: Series of 15

1 files, last one added on Oct 30, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 460 mm high x 600 mm x 180 mm
Edition: Series of 15

2 files, last one added on Nov 05, 2009

The sculpture was modeled in 1969 and is representative of Tienie's earlier, more impressionistic works. He used the same model for all the figures, thereby emphasising their common failure and shared fate.
It depicts the biblical parable of the five foolish virgins who fell asleep while waiting for the bridegroom without making provision for enough oil for their lamps. As a result of that, they could not attend the wedding feast.

1 files, last one added on Nov 16, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 480 mm high x 200 mm x 230 mm
Edition: Edition of 15

1 files, last one added on Nov 25, 2009

Clay Model
Dimensions: 940 mm high x 330 mm x 360 mm
Edition: Series of 15

The sculpture depicts a priestess of the Mysteries of Isis, round about the second century AD in Rome, performing a ritual to ensure fertility, regeneration and immortality of the soul.
In ancient times man was not conditioned to see the snake as evil. Its ability to slough its skin and arise a new creature over and over again made it a symbol of rebirth. The snake twined around the legs of the priestess also symbolizes the spiral and meander – the path that the dead soul would take to re-enter the womb of the Great Mother. From there the soul can be born again.
The bowls presented to the gods contain grain or food. The skulls, which are incense containers, are symbolic of mortality rather than death. The Y-shape of the composition is a Pythagorean symbol of life – an ascending road that in the course of time divides and man must choose between good and evil.
The altar is of Roman origin. The ram heads at the corners are symbolic of procreation and fertility. The cylindrical forms on top of the altar are Roman symbols of strength, representing a bundle of sticks that increases in strength with each added stick.

2 files, last one added on Jun 21, 2010

Bronze
Dimensions: 97cm High x 1m x 62cm

According to Norse mythology, the Valkyries were the shield maidens of the god Odin. They were beautiful and armed and were mounted on splendid horses on which they rode through the air. They surveyed battlefields, gathering up the souls of the chosen heroes of the Vikings that had succumbed during the battle.
These souls were borne away to Valhalla, the big hall of Odin, where they were kept in fighting form to become part of Odin's ghostly army and to participate in the final stand between the gods and the evil forces.

7 files, last one added on Dec 01, 2009

Bronze
Dimensions: 1 m high x 650 mm x 400 mm
Edition: Edition of 15

The sculpture portrays an Egyptian Pharaoh hunting with bow and arrows. The cheetah he holds on the leash is his hunting aid.

It was trained to run the quarry down and not to mangle the kill, being rewarded with a cup of fresh blood from the victim's throat.

Cheetahs have been the playthings of royalty through the centuries. In the ancient Egyptian, Roman and Persian civilizations, ownership of a cheetah as pet was a status symbol only royalty or the very privileged could afford.

1 files, last one added on Oct 30, 2009

Clay model
Dimensions: 310 mm high x 540 mm x 360 mm
Edition: Series of 15

Throughout history man has unquestionably believed in the existence of an unseen world, parallel to his own, peopled by gods and supernatural beings that controlled his life. Sacrifice was a means of communication with these powers, an expression of his subservience and respect. Life on earth was seen as a sacred whole, which was continually renewed by repeating cycles. In order to maintain this never-ending renewal, sacrifices were needed to regenerate the power of the life source. Life was believed to be fed by life. Of all the worldly manifestations of life, the human was regarded as the most valuable and therefore the most efficacious as an offering. Blood was regarded as the life force itself and the shedding of blood therefore was symbolical of renewing life - not ending it. Blood soaked into the ground was believed to fertilize the soil, making the crops grow. In times of crises like drought or famine it was considered necessary to woo the gods with a sacrifice in order to wipe out offences and restore the relationship. The act of human sacrifice might be best understood as a compensation for the feeling of impotence in the face of forces that cannot be comprehended or controlled. It is an unconscious defense against fear. The slaying of the victim is done to vindicate an idea and to save the sacrificer, because the death of the victim substitutes his own death. Chosen victims regarded their selection a great honour, because not only were they elevated to the status of saviour, but they were also assured of blessed afterlife. The same principle still lies behind contemporary acts of terrorism. Kamikaze pilots in World War 11 and people arming their bodies with bombs in the Middle East are examples.

THE SCULPTURE
The sculpture was modeled in 1999 It depicts the pathos of being chosen as a sacrifice to serve a higher cause. It is not based on any specific time or culture, but is representative of chosen victims throughout all cultures and ages. Although the young woman is resigned to her fate, she is still apprehensive. She is not trying to resist, but rather contemplating the lot that fell to her. The altar she is lying on is a result of the sculptor's imagination. The skulls symbolize mankind's mortality and the snake the regeneration of the soul after death. The bowls are containers for incense. Incense burning was and still is a common religious practice during communion with divine powers. In ancient Egypt incense burning was believed to bring back the spirits of the departed.

2 files, last one added on Oct 30, 2009