Online catalogue for the 53rd tribal art auction

181 Mask "ntomo"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, black patina, a shield-shaped flattened base with an oval hollowed face in front, dominiated by pierced eyes which are flanking a triangular nose, a small mouth underneath, crowned by five beaks, slightly dam., crack at the chin, minor missing parts backside at the rim, on base; worn by the "non-initiates" of "ntomo" society. The mouth only slightly indicated, which should emphasize the central function of the "ntomo", i. e. the control of the word and the value of silence.

H: 52 cm
H: 20.5 inch

Provenance
Coll. Arne Paulsson, Gothenburg, Sweden
Finn Andersen, Denmark

Price: 1800 - 2700 €

182 Hyena mask "suruku" of the "Kore" society

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, blackish brown encrusted patina, of oval hollowed form with a thornlike protruding forehead and a deepened facial plane underneath, pierced eyes flanking a bold, triangular nose, a broad and slightly opened snout below, crowned by tapering ears and a plug-like projection on top of the head, slightly dam. (nose tip, forehead, ears, rim backside), indigenous repair (crack at the back of the head closed by metal clamps), abrasion, on metal base; the hyena mask played an important role in guarding the bush camps, where the elder taught the new "Kore" initiates.

H: 45 cm
H: 17.7 inch

Provenance
Pace Gallery, New York, USA (1980)
Coll. Richard Ulevitch, San Diego, USA
John Dintenfass, New York, USA

Literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 53 f.
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2001, p. 118 f.

Price: 8000 - 12000 €

183 Antelope headdress "tijwara"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, middle brown patina, corroded metal sheet, cowrie snails, male, vertical type, rising from a rectangular base (with two holes for attachment), the mane arranged in two bows, a narrow elongated head with metal sheet decorations surmounted by two long notched horns, slightly dam., fissures, on base

H: 128,5 cm
H: 50.6 inch

Provenance
Hans Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Maria Wyss, Basel, Switzerland

Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2001, p. 211, ill. 189

Sold.

184 Antelope dance crest "tjiwara"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, dark brown patina, metal sheet, horizontal type, with bent legs rising from a rectangular base with nine holes for affixation, a dainty body decorated with elaborate carvings merging into a scrolled tail, a long columnar neck with a collar of punched metal sheet supporting an elongated head with a slightly opened mouth and visible tongue, the eyes inset with metal tags, elaborate incisions and long pointed backswept spiral horns, completed by a shorter pair of horns and long ears with piercings, min. dam., missing parts, insect caused damage, slight signs of abrasion, on wooden base; the religious and social life of the Bamana people was determined by six initiation communities. Each level of initiation was represented by a special mask type. The "tijwara" headdress belongs to the fifth level. Its members had to encourage a good harvest by celebrating their masquerades.The masks used to appear in pairs male-female, symbolizing the sun and the earth and their meaning for human life.

H: 46,5 cm; L: 54 cm
H: 18.3 inch; L: 21.3 inch

Provenance
Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 8. November 1972, lot 49
Fred Kamyas, New York, USA
Robin Judah, Bermudas, United Kingdom

Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2001, p. 228
Bambara sculpture from the Western Sudan, The Museum of Primitive Art, New York 1960, ill. 64

Price: 18000 - 27000 €

185 Mask "ntomo"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, reddish brown patina, of oval form with pierced eyes, which are flanking a small, long nose, crowned by six vertically protruding horns, the horns and the face decorated with cowrie snails, pierced around the rim, min. dam., small missing parts

H: 45 cm
H: 17.7 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Germany

Literature
Bambara sculpture from the Western Sudan, The Museum of Primitive Art, New York 1960, ill. 31 ff.

Price: 1200 - 1800 €

186 Iron figure

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

traces of corrosion, standing female figure, simplified in form, lengthened limbs, crowned by a narrow head with disc-shaped crested coiffure with lobes aside, dam., missing part (the right arm), on small base

H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch

Provenance
Harrie Heinemans, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Price: 800 - 1200 €

187 Apes mask "n'gon"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, middle brown patina, of elongated narrow form with a bulging forehead, nose and brows forming a T-shaped zone, a protruding, strong teeth revealing mouth underneath, pierced around the rim, slightly dam., indigenous repair (chin area)

H: 33 cm
H: 13 inch

Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2001, p. 106

Sold.

188 Door lock

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, brown spotty patina, in form of a stylized crocodile with an opened snout, the pupils inset with metal tags, min. dam., fissures, slight signs of abrasion, bolt is missing, on metal base

H: 88,5 cm
H: 34.8 inch

Provenance
Coll. Karl Woermann, Hamburg, Germany

Price: 700 - 1000 €

189 Standing figure

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

corroded metal, a slender rangy figure with shortened arms, an oval head with prominent mouth, crowned by an arrow-shaped headgear, min. dam., on metal base

H: 28 cm
H: 11 inch

Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2001, p. 48

Price: 500 - 750 €

190 Door lock

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, spotty brown patina, metal, in the shape of a stylized human figure, the corpus decorated with incised ornaments, complete with cross bolt, min. dam., signs of abrasion, fissures, on base

H: 41 cm
H: 16.1 inch

Literature
J. P. Colleyn (Hrsg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich, 2001, p. 62

Price: 400 - 600 €