Online catalogue for the 53rd tribal art auction

391 Mask of a female ancestor "mwana pwo"

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, reddish brown patina, of oval hollowed form with cap-like coiffure and handle-shaped protruding ears, arching brows with narrow slit bean-shaped eyes underneath, flanking a tiny nose with grooved bridge, a broad teeth revealing mouth below, typical cross tattoo in the middle of the forehead, curved band tattoo on the cheeks, pierced around the rim, two minor cracks backside, on base; depicting a female ancestor; should give fertility to the audience. The mask had educational purposes as well: the dancer moved elegant and graceful, thus teaching the girls to move the same way.

H: 17 cm
H: 6.7 inch

Provenance
French Collection

Literature
M. Jordan (ed.), Chokwe! Art and Initiation among Chokwe and Related Peoples, München, London, New York 1998, ill. 56 ff.

Sold.

392 Ornamental part of a stool

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, shiny dark brown patina, four persons arranged in a row on a rectangular base, it shows three prisoners bound to each other and a watchman with a weapon, min. dam., missing pieces; it is very likely that this fragment was part of a stool. Stools were often decorated with scenes from everyday life.

H: 13,5 cm; L: 27 cm
H: 5.3 inch; L: 10.6 inch

Literature
Bocola, Sandro (Hg.), Afrikanische Sitze, München, New York 1994, p. 185, ill. 114

Sold.

393 Small figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, shiny dark brown patina, strong, slightly bent legs are carrying a long cylindrical torso, rounded shoulders merging into angled arms, the left hand rests underneath the chin, crowned by an oval head with tribe-typical facial features and a elaborate coiffure, min. dam., slight signs of abrasion; the lack of body scarifications suggests that it represents a young woman. Besides serving as an ancestral portrait, the figure represents the potential of all young women to become accomplished members of Chokwe society.

H: 23 cm
H: 9.1 inch

Provenance
Coll. Jacques R. van Overstraeten, Brussels, Belgium

Literature
Jordan, Manuel (Hg.), Chokwe! Art and Initiation among Chokwe and Related Peoples, München, London, New York 1998, p. 36, ill. 10

Sold.

394 Neckrest

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, shiny middle brown patina, an open worked rectangular base, two continuous struts with carved ornaments are supporting a slightly curved seat decorated with incisions, min. dam., slight signs of usage; those neckrests were used as pillows and should preserve the elaborate coiffures at night. They identified their owner concerning rank and membership to a certain clan.

H: 14 cm; L: 41,5 cm
H: 5.5 inch; L: 16.3 inch

Provenance
Pace Gallery, New York, USA

Sold.

395 Small receptacle

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, blackish brown patina, cylindrical receptacle, notched at the base, decorated with brass tags, the upper rim coated with leather, forming a strap for fixing the wooden stopper, the corpus decorated with incised ornaments showing triangles and flap-like motifs with incised concentric lines, abrasion, minor missing parts (leather at the rim)

H: 7 cm
H: 2.8 inch

Provenance
Old American Collection

Sold.

396 Ancestor half figure "singiti"

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Hemba

wood, dark brown patina, disc-shaped base, carved with a cylindrical trunk with protruding abdomen, crowned by a bearded head with a heart-shaped facial plane and elaborate carved facial features, hole on top of the head, disc-shaped flattened coiffure with cross ornament on the back, slightly dam., cracks (above all on the left half of the face), on base

H: 16,5 cm
H: 6.5 inch

Price: 800 - 1500 €

397 Caryatid stool

This object is not available any more.

Tanzania, Holoholo

wood, reddish brown patina, with flat feet and long, rounded legs rising from a disc-shaped base, supporting a bulging abdomen with accentuated navel, with both arms carrying a half-circular seat on top of the head, extremely voluminous and lenghtened lower arms tightly enclosing the breasts and forming a frame for the columnar neck and a narrow, elongated head with cap-like coiffure and protruding ears, the facial features dominated by narrow slit eyes arranged close to each other, flanking a nose with curved bridge and flattened tip, a protruding mouth underneath, dam., cracks (abdomen, right arm, seat), place of repair (left wrist), dam., abrasion; the Holoholo are a small ethnical group, living in Zaire at the banks of Lake Tanganyika. Only few sculptures and figurally carved dignitary staffs are known. Their style reflects their geographic location, combining elements of eastern Zaire and Tansania on the opposite side of the lake. Sculptures of the Holoholo are distinguished by naturalistic appeal and round body forms, as well as narrow slit eyes. After the German Ruanda Expedition in 1893/94 the figure became part of the collection of Max Wentzel, colonial secretary in Tabora.

H: 76 cm
H: 29.9 inch

Provenance
Coll. Max Wentzel, Tabora (Tansania)
Family Collection, Germany (since 1909)

Literature
for comparable object, see Sotheby´s New York, Wednesday May 8, 1996, lot 127A
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, The Handbook, Brüssel 1987, p. 38 f.
Krieger, Kurt, Westafrikanische Plastik, Bd. I, Museum für Völkerkunde Berlin 1978, ill. 244
Robbins, Warren M., Ingram Nooter, Nancy, African Art in American Collections, 1989, p. 472, ill. 1214

Sold.

398 Mask

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Ituri

wood, dull patina, of oval form, under a bulging forehead with curved eyebrows there are oval open worked eyes flanking a straight flat nose, an open mouth with visible teeth underneath, pierced around the rim, min. dam., small missing parts, on base; Ituri is called a rain forest region, the home of various ethnical groups. Their mask types show great stylistic similarities, so that it can be talked about one stylistic region. The most important characteristic feature is their abstract conception and the painting, which surely derives from the bark painting of the pygmees.

H: 26,5 cm
H: 10.4 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Brussels, Belgium

Literature
Felix, Marc L., Ituri, München 1992, p. 235

Sold.

399 Anthropomorphic cup in form of a head

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Kuba

wood, dark brown patina, a base in the shape of human feet is carved with a neck-like shaft with an incised ornaments, supporting a cup, which is formed like a human head and carved with delicate features, dam., fissure, missing parts

H: 15 cm
H: 5.9 inch

Provenance
Coll. Julius Konietzko, Hamburg, Germany, before 1939

Literature
Gardi, Bernhard, Zaire - Masken Figuren, Museum für Völkerkunde und Schweizerisches Museum für Volkskunde, Basel 1986, p. 65

Sold.

400 Power figure with beard "kakudji"

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Kusu

wood, encrusted brown patina, a legless, conical shaped lower part of the body, entirely coated with animal skin, supporting a slender, waisted trunk, which is flanked by free carved arms, with both hands resting aside the bulging abdomen, flat shoulders and a strong neck carrying a broad, bearded head with a heart-shaped deepened facial plane, cavity on top of the head, filled with magic mass with teeth stuck into the clay-like substance, slightly dam., cracks (left side of the head), old place of repair (left hand), on base; the Kusu came from the northwest together with the Nkutshu and Tetela. They branched off, passing through Luba, Hemba, and Songye territories. They picked up customs and incorporated other groups on the way. Considering the abundance of carvings from most Lubaized cultures, the Kusu have not sculpted very much. Their typology is limited. The "kakudji" half figures seem to be Kasongo influenced, but the Kasongo are probably an isolated clan of Kusu origin.

H: 39,5 cm
H: 15.6 inch

Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, The Handbook, Brüssel 1987, p. 66 f.

Sold.