Online catalogue for the 53rd tribal art auction

421 Power figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Luba

wood, reddish brown patina, traces of camwood powder, a disc-shaped base, carved with a cylindrical corpus with pierced arms and legs, clumsy hands resting in front of the abdomen, a massive, conical protruding neck supporting a big head with triangular facial plane, dominated by slanting eyes and surrounding incised scarification marks, crowned by a bulky superstructure with cavity for insertion of magical material, further smaller openings on back and breast (here complete with filling), traces of old insect caused damage, minor cracks, rest., on blocklike base

H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch

Provenance
University of Virginia Art Museum (1980.69.13), USA

Literature
Agthe, Johanna, Luba Hemba, Werke unbekannter Meister, Frankfurt am Main 1983, p. 38 f.

Price: 1800 - 2700 €

422 Amulet

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Luba

ivory, with honey-brown spots, in the shape of a female half figure with indicated breasts and arms, both hands resting in front of the abdomen, crowned by a helmet-shaped head, coiffure with zigzag contours and eyes incised, two drilled holes, on small base; Luba ivory pendants are portraits, or at least likenesses, and are namend and honored in memory of certain revered ancestors. These delicate diminutive figures were suspended from cords together with other objects, including amulets, beads and horns. The cords were worn diagonally across the chest or were attached to the arm. Devotees anointed the figures with oil in homage to the ancestors. Such treatments, together with regular handling and contact with the human body, gave the figures a smooth, lustrous surface and a rich caramel color ranging from yellowish-brown to auburn. The figures were also sometimes attached to the tops of scepters carried by chiefs.

H: 9,5 cm
H: 3.7 inch

Provenance
Coll. Marc Felix, Brussels, Belgium

Literature
Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory: Luba Art and the Making of History, Ausstellungskatalog, New York 1996, p. 108 f.

Price: 13000 - 20000 €

423 Sword knife

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Luba

slightly corroded metal, oval pointed blade, handle wrapped in copper wire, a wooden sheath with a strip of plaited plant fibers for transportation, min. dam., indigenous repairs at the back

L: 45,5 cm (without sheath)
L: 17.9 inch (without sheath)

Literature
Fischer, Werner, Zirngibl, Manfred A., Afrikanische Waffen, Passau 1978, p. 135, ill. 241

Sold.

424 Amulet figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Luba

ivory, spotty patina, in form of a half figure with the arms carved in relief and the hands hold together at the navel, incised facial features and raised hairline, pierced through the shoulders for suspension, collection number inside "AF 09", slight signs of abrasion, small missing parts; Luba ivory pendants are among the most intimate and personal of all Luba objects, and reflect a close association with the human body. Tiny enough to be easily held and caressed in the hand, ivory pendants nevertheless uphold the same aesthetic as larger, more imposing Luba royal emblems.

H: 8 cm
H: 3.1 inch

Provenance
Coll. Ladislas Segy, New York, USA
Christie`s Amsterdam, 7 December, 1998, lot 202

Literature
Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory: Luba Art and the Making of History, Ausstellungskatalog, New York 1996, p. 109
Vatter, Ernst, Religiöse Plastik der Naturvölker, Frankfurt am Main 1926, p. 48, ill. 8

Price: 5200 - 7800 €

425 Female figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Luba

wood, shiny dark brown patina, sitting with shortened angled legs, a cylindrical torso with a protruding belly carrying broad angular shoulders merging into shortened arms with carved bracelets and stylized hands, a strong neck is supporting an oval head with tribe-typical facial features and an elaborate coiffure, min. dam., fissures, missing parts and slight signs of abrasion, on wooden base; in Luba belief, beauty is not innate but is created over the course of a lifetime. Physical perfection reflects moral perfection. The body is a canvas to work on: to make oneself good looking by cosmetic adornments and manipulations which Luba people consider aesthetically and spritually pleasing. This quietly regal figure, showing scarifications, an elegant coiffure, gleaming skin and the gesture hand to breasts, is a place of memory and an abode for the spirits.

H: 26,5 cm
H: 10.4 inch

Provenance
Coll. Westermann, Hamburg, Germany

Price: 3800 - 5700 €

426 Individual protective figure "lupingu lua luimpe"

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Lulua

wood, blackish brown patina, encrusted in some areas, showing a slender body of well-balanced and well-proportioned shape, columnar legs supporting a slender trunk with free carved arms, the right hand resting on the abdomen, while the left is supporting an item, crowned by a relative big head with slanted halves of the face and a moulded eye zone, covered with incised scarification marks, cap-like coiffure with plug-like projection on top, carved with a loincloth, a knife inserted at the back, slightly dam., cracks (above all at the back of the head and at the back), missing parts because of insect caused damage (right leg, left foot tip, head plug), on base; Lulua or Bena Lulua is a collective term for autonomous ethnical groups, settled in the south of Zaire. About 1875 chief Kalamba restrained their old religion. He ordered to destroy ritual figures and interdicted to create new ones. But the new regime didn´t survive for a long time and the people reverted to their old religion. Aside of few masks and big warrior figures, the Lulua are mainly known for their small individual protective figures. This very figure belongs to the "Buanga Bua cibola" cult, they should preserve beauty and luck of its owner.

H: 31 cm
H: 12.2 inch

Provenance
Coll. Joseph and Doris Gerofsky, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, The Handbook, Brüssel 1987, p. 89, fig. 2

Price: 12000 - 18000 €

427 Stool

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Mangbetu

wood, shiny, blackish brown patina, the fluted base leading to a spherical intermediate piece, supporting a circular seat with linear incised motifs, min. dam., signs of abrasion, small missing pieces and fissures; Mangbetu women used to carry those stools with them wherever they went, while Mangbetu men did not use stools. Chiefs possessed two storied stools in order to sit on a higher level than the surrounding women.

H: 52 cm; D: 52 cm
H: 20.5 inch; D: 20.5 inch

Literature
S. Bocola (Hrsg.), Afrikanische Sitze, München, New York 1994, p. 127

Sold.

428 Ornamental knife

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Mangbetu

ivory handle, in the shape of a long neck with four bulges, crowned by a narrow head with accurate carved facial features, smoothed on either side, raised middle ridge, slightly dam., missing part at the right ear; most likely made as ornamental knife but may have also been used in cult rituals.

L: 22 cm, 19th century
L: 8.7 inch, 19th century

Literature
Zirngibl, Manfred A., Seltene afrikanische Kurzwaffen, Grafenau 1983, p. 83, ill. 88 f.

Price: 9500 - 14000 €

429 Mortar in the shape of a standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Mbala

wood, middle brown patina, with bent legs rising from a circular base, supporting a compact body, with thin arms holding a cylindrical receptacle on top of the head, showing a short, but broad facial plane, which is accentuated by lancet shaped eyes and the flanking funnel shaped ears, skin scarification marks around the body, the receptacle decorated with incised linear ornements fit into square compartements, slightly dam., cracks (back of the head, back, receptacle), missing parts because of old insect caused damage, on base

H: 23 cm
H: 9.1 inch

Provenance
William Brill, New York, USA

Price: 2000 - 2900 €

430 Primitive money in the shape of a foot ring

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Mbole

corroded metal with patina, extremely bulbous, open form, slightly dam., on metal base

H: 26 cm; D: 26 cm
H: 10.2 inch; D: 10.2 inch

Literature
Opitz, Charles J., An Ethnographic Study of Traditional Money, Ocala/Florida 2000, p. 201

Price: 250 - 400 €