Online catalogue for the 55th tribal art auction

411 Magical half figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Bakongo

wood, shiny brown patina, a bell-shaped base, a cylindrical trunk with angular shoulders merging into arms worked close to the body, the hands resting in front of the breast, a short neck supporting an oval head with expressive facial features and big ears, on the back of the head remains of a bonnet made from leather affixed by metal tags, min. dam., cracks (base), slight signs of abrasion, on metal base

H: 24 cm
H: 9.4 inch

Sold.

412 Postfigure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Basikasingo

wood, reddish brown patina, camwood powder, post-shaped corpus without arms and legs, shoulder- and breast area indicated, a strong neck supporting a head with voluminous coiffure and lobe backside, the facial contours dissolved by notches marking a beard, narrow slightly slanting eyes flanked by ornamentally arranged ears, hole on top of the head, slightly dam., cracks (breast, area of the head), traces of weathering and insect caused damage at the base, on metal base; tall cylindrical posts with anthropomorphic heads are found in the villages of many ethnic groups, even among the neighbouring Tabwa. They should protect the village and its leader.

H: 116 cm
H: 45.7 inch

Provenance
Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium

Literature
Roberts, Allen F./Maurer, Evan M. (ed.), Tabwa - The Rising of a New Moon: A Century of Tabwa Art, Washington D.C. 1985, p. 167
Cornet, Joseph, A survey of Zairan Art, The Bronson Collection, Raleigh 1978, p. 310 f.

Price: 20000 - 30000 €

413 Standing female ancestor figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Bwaka

wood, residues of dark brown patina, u-shaped legs with zigzag-contours, supporting an elongated cylindrical trunk with arms in flat relief, the head showing stylized facial features, framed by long curved ears, linear scarification marks on forehead and breast, slightly dam., missing parts (foot tips), cracks (back), paint rubbed off, on base; presumably a depiction of "nabo", the sister-wife of "seto", the ancestor couple. They were displayed on special altars in nearly every house and received sacrifices every day in order to prevent harm.

H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch

Literature
Marc L. Felix, 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, The Handbook, Brussels 1987, p. 120

Price: 1500 - 2300 €

414 Face mask

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Bwaka

wood, dark brown patina with traces of black paint, slightly encrusted, traces of kaolin, of oval hollowed form with a flattened facial plane, a vertical incised scarification line running from the forehead down to the nose tip, flanked by slanting, lancet-shaped pierced eyes, an oval mouth with inserted human teeth below, the coiffure separated from the facial plane by a slightly raised line, slightly dam., minor missing parts (right side of the head); characteristic of the Bwaka/Ngbaka masks is the mirroring of a scarification pattern in the form of a vertical ridge over the forehead and the nose. The masks are used during the circumcision rites when the initiates return to the village, but they are worn by members of the anti-witchcraft society as well.

H: 30 cm
H: 11.8 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, USA

Published in
Yale, GVR-Archives, Registration Nr. 0062497~01

Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, The Handbook, Brüssel 1987, p. 120 f.
Dr. Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München/Berlin 1994, p. 104
Herreman, Frank/Petridis, Constantijn (ed.), Face of the Spirits, Masks from the Zaire Basin, Tervuren 1993, p. 224

Price: 4000 - 6000 €

415 Comb

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, dark brown patina, nine teeth, decorated with incised geometrical patterns, crowned by a small head, brass wire around the neck

H: 14,5 cm
H: 5.7 inch

Provenance
Alain Guisson, Brussels, Belgium

Sold.

416 Double figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, spotty shiny patina, a trefoil-shaped base, carved with two figures standing back to back, both showing elongated bodies, dressed with a kind of skirt, a long columnar neck supporting an oval face with simplified facial features, crowned by a small mortar-like vessel, min. dam., slight signs of abrasion, on wooden base; probably depicting an Ursuline (headgear) and one of her novices.

H: 36,5 cm
H: 14.4 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Stuttgart, Germany

Price: 3000 - 4500 €

417 Snuff mortar with buffalo

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, reddish brown patina, oval base, pierced in the middle, carved with a stylized buffalo, rising from extremely angled legs, supporting an elaborate carved head with cantilevered horns and tapering snout, two strut-like projections on the back carrying a cup-like receptacle, circular stopper of glazed ceramics, attached to the handle by a leather strap, slightly dam., paint rubbed off (handle)

H: 10,5 cm
H: 4.1 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Switzerland

Literature
Jordán, Manuel (ed.), Chokwe! Art and Initiation among Chokwe and Related Peoples, München/London/New York 1998, ill. 144

Price: 6000 - 9000 €

418 Standing male figure with fabric loincloth

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, reddish brown patina, with bulky, bell-shaped feet rising from long legs, both arms angled, arranged opposite to each other in front of the body, crowned by a big, protruding head, the facial features arranged on a small area, flanked by small round ears, grooved coiffure around the back of the head, slightly dam., minor missing parts, on base

H: 35,5 cm
H: 14 inch

Sold.

419 Ornamental part of a stool

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, shiny brown patina, a rectangular base, carved with three small figures in flat relief, surmounted by two standing figures, showing identical postures with shortened legs, clamp-like arranged arms, tribe-typical facial features and headgears, min. dam., slight signs of abrasion; it can be assumed, that the fragment was part of a stool. Stools were often decorated with scenes from everyday life.

H: 19,5 cm; B: 11,5 cm
H: 7.7 inch; B: 4.5 inch

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

Sold.

420 Lamellophone "sanza"

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, metal, eleven metal keys, a rectangular corpus, carved with geometrical ornaments and a stylized human face, min. dam., signs of usage and abrasion

M: 22 x 13,5 cm
M: 22 x 5.3 inch

Literature
Ginzberg, Marc, Afrikanische Formen, Mailand 2001, p. 136

Price: 350 - 600 €