Chapungu – Custom and Legend, A Culture in Stone

Chapungu – Custom and Legend, A Culture in Stone by Roy Guthrie is a richly illustrated cultural study celebrating the traditions and symbolism of Zimbabwean stone sculpture. Published by Chapungu Sculpture Park, this substantial volume documents the origins, philosophy, and artistic evolution of the Shona sculpture movement, situating it within the broader spiritual and cultural heritage of Zimbabwe.

Roy Guthrie, founder of Chapungu Sculpture Park, played a pivotal role in promoting Zimbabwean sculptors on the international stage. In Chapungu – Custom and Legend, A Culture in Stone, he explores the cosmology, ancestral beliefs, and oral traditions that inform the imagery carved into serpentine and other indigenous stones. The book traces how sculptors draw upon themes of family, spirit mediums, wildlife, and mythic symbolism, transforming raw stone into works that embody continuity between the material and spiritual worlds. Through detailed commentary and photographic documentation, Guthrie provides context for both established master sculptors and emerging artists whose work contributed to the global recognition of the Shona movement.

As both an art catalogue and a cultural narrative, this publication serves collectors, curators, and scholars of African art with authoritative insight into one of southern Africa’s most distinctive artistic traditions. Chapungu – Custom and Legend, A Culture in Stone stands as an important record of a living cultural expression, preserving the stories, techniques, and philosophical foundations that underpin Zimbabwe’s celebrated stone sculpture heritage.

Condition: Fine/Like New – No Notable Defects