Online catalogue for the 52nd tribal art auction

1 Spoon

This object is not available any more.

Philippines - Ifugao

wood, shiny brown patina, handle carved with a standing figure, short, bulky legs, long, free worked arms, the hands resting on the hips, a stylized face with diamond-shaped eyes, min. dam., missing pieces (spoon)

L: 18 cm
L: 7.1 inch

Literature
Douglas Newton, (Hrsg.): Art of the South Seas, The Collection of the Musée Barbier-Mueller, München, London, New York 1999, p. 148, ill. 6

Sold.

2 Crown-shaped head ornament

This object is not available any more.

Malaysia - Sarawak, Melanau - Dayak

silver metal, patina, ring-shaped, the upper part arranged in filigree openwork design with intricate, partly figural ornaments, richly decorated with engraved and punched patterns, pierced for attachment, slightly dam., broken (two times), minor cracks at the lower rim

H: 13 cm; D: ca. 21 cm
H: 5.1 inch; D: ca. 8.3 inch

Provenance
Coll. August Flick, Cologne, Germany

Literature
Newton, Douglas (Hg.), Arts of the South Seas, The Collection of the Musée Barbier-Mueller, München, London, New York 1999, p. 23

Sold.

3 Belt

This object is not available any more.

Malaysia - Sarawak, Melanau - Dayak

silver-plated brass rings, closely threaded on rattan splices, arranged in dense rows on top of each other, thus forming a waisted corsage-like belt, upholstered with various layers of fabric inside, silver-metal straps for closing, good condition; belonging to a traditonal womans costume.

D: 21 cm
D: 8.3 inch

Provenance
Coll. August Flick, Cologne, Germany

Literature
L. Chin, Cultural Heritage of Sarawak, Kuching 1980, p. 65
Borneo, The Dayak in the Francois Coppens Collection, Musée de Solutré, 1996, p. 61

Sold.

4 Head ornament

This object is not available any more.

Malaysia - Sarawak, Melanau - Dayak

silver metal, triangular form, two-parted, with a fine-toothed comb for attachment at the lower rim, entirely decorated with punched floral ornaments and birds motifs, on top and at the rim set with elaborate projections, consisting of leafs and stars with diamondshaped appendices, diminutive eardrops, slightly dam.

H: 36 cm; B: 25 cm
H: 14.2 inch; B: 9.8 inch

Provenance
Coll. August Flick, Cologne, Germany

Literature
L. Chin, Cultural Heritage of Sarawak, Kuching 1980, p. 65

Sold.

5 Head piece of a sarcophagus

This object is not available any more.

Indonesia - Borneo, Dayak

ironwood, middle brown patina, in the shape of a dragon-like being, a curved neck supporting a head with the snout wide opened, one side showing strong traces of weathering and missing parts, cracks, on metal plate

H: 52,5 cm
H: 20.7 inch

Provenance
French Collection, Paris

Literature
Headhunters and Woodcarvers, from the Francois Coppens Collection, Aust.kat. Arnhem 2000, p. 29, ill. 31

Price: 1550 - 2300 €

6 Ancestor figur "hazi nuwu"

This object is not available any more.

Indonesia - Nias

wood, brown patina, an armless figure rising from a high base, carved with shorts, a belt of fabric around the hips, crowned by an oval head with chin beard, well-balanced facial features, big ears and a hat-like headgear with two pointed appendages, min. dam., signs of abrasion, small missing parts, on base; presumably belonging to an ancestral altar.

H: 27 cm
H: 10.6 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Germany

Published in
Heppell M., Maxwell R.: Borneo and Beyond, Tribal Arts of Indonesia, East Malaysia and Madagascar, Singapor, 1990, p. 100

Literature
Nias, Tribal Treasures, Cosmic reflections in stone, wood and gold, Delft 1990, p. 221, ill. 63 b

Sold.

7 Squatting ancestor figure

This object is not available any more.

Indonesien - Molukken

wood, reddish brown patina, with the legs drawn up seated on a rectangular base, the folded arms resting on the knees, crowned by a big head with cap-like headgear and ornamentally modeled ears, the flattened facial plane dominated by a long triangular nose, which nearly hides the incised line of the mouth below, flanked by small eyes with mother-of-pearl inlay, fixed by nails, slightly dam. (head crest, right elbow, base), basement

H: 37 cm
H: 14.6 inch

Provenance
Gallery Lemaire, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Félix Pelt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Literature
Newton, Douglas (Hg.), Arts of the South Seas, The Collection of the Musée Barbier-Mueller, München, London, New York 1999, p. 142, ill. 3

Sold.

8 Photo album of the expedition of the S.M.S. Bussard to the South Seas in 1897 -1899

This object is not available any more.

expedition, album

bounded in red leather, with golden relief printing, notes of the ship's engineer Rudolph Krug from Eckernförde. First part: made on his journey to the South Seas in 1897-1899 on board of the S.M.S. Bussard, containing a self painted map, a written travel diary, a photo of the crew together with samoan girls, dated 1898, a photo of Kasimir Gangloff with a written remark backside "Kasimir Gangloff, king of the island Koung, Bismarck-Archipel, South Seas, together with his son and his cousin from Strassbourg, Alsace…", two photos of Rudolph Krug (?), one of them dedicated to the marine officer Eduard Keller, as well as two pictures of ships (S. M. S. Bussard ?), 110 photos and postcards are documenting the expedition. The second part depicts his journey with the S. M. S. Moltke in 1902-1903 from Sweden, Norway down the atlantic coast up to Liberia, containing a route map, written diary, 15 postcards and 25 photos. The third part contains documents of the expedition with the S.M.S. Charlotte 1907-1908 (Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Carribean) with two maps as well as 93 photos and postcards.

M: 42 x 32 cm
M: 42 x 12.6 inch

Provenance
Familiy estate, South Germany

Sold.

9 Ancestor skull

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea, Iatmul

human skull,, overmodeled with terracotta, dyed with white pigment, artificially painted with curvilinear ornaments, eyes, nose, mouth and ears modeled free, the eyes inset with cowrie snails, diadem-like arranged boar tusks, remainders of real hair, slightly dam., missing parts (nose tip, mouth, ears), cracks, on wooden plate; such skulls played a fundamental role in preserving the memory of a clan's origin. The skulls of a clan's founding ancestors are often kept and displayed, as are those of family ancestors. The skull of a person with a strong face or a good nose may also be overmodeled. The proof of a warrior's prowess lies in the number of overmodeled enemy skulls he owns. War magic is also made against such enemy skulls.

H: 17; L: 21,5 cm
H: 17; L: 8.5 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Germany, coll. 1912-1914

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 220 f.

Sold.

10 Lime tube

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea, Iatmul

bamboo shaft, lower part wrapped in rotan, elaborate carved wooden stopper with a janiform human head and a birds' figure, min. dam., slight signs of abrasion, on base; lime was produced by burning coral and purifying the residue. It was used together with pepper fruit and betel nut and was stored in bamboo containers like this one. Ceremonial lime containers were important personal property of initiated men. When they were young initiates, they received them from their maternal uncle. Later, as adults, they gave them to their sister's male child. These objects were not employed in everyday use and could attain great age without detoriation.

H: 77 cm
H: 30.3 inch

Provenance
von Funkoffizier Lehr auf Schiff Friderum, Norddt. Lloyd, 1921-1928 coll. in situ
German family estate

Literature
Friede, John and Marcia, New Guinea Art, Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection, Vol. 1, San Francisco 2005, p. 113, no. 190

Sold.