Online catalogue for the 60th tribal art auction
351 Tobacco pipe
D. R. Congo, Mangbetu
cane, completely decorated with pyro-engraved triangles, fictile mouthpiece, l: 45 cm; additional: a smaller pipe, decorated with pyro-engraved ornaments, both min. dam., fissures, slight signs of usage, l: 41 cm
Provenance
Jordaan Costermans, Ghent, Belgium
Price: 500 - 1000 €
352 Harp "kundi"
D. R. Congo, Mangbetu
wood, brown patina, waisted corpus, covered with reptile skin, two resonance holes, the top of the harp figurally carved with a human head, strings affixed by five wooden pegs in form of stylized human figures, min. dam., cracks, slight signs of abrasion, on metal base; harps once owned by Mangbetu court musicians incorporate valuable materials such as ivory or elaborate carvings. Mangbetu elders today claim that figural carvings on the harps head like the present, depict Queen Nenzima, who was chief adviser of four kings between 1875 and 1926.
L: 99cm
L: 39 inch
Provenance
Jordaan Costermans, Ghent, Belgium
Literature
Cogdell, Jacqueline, Turn up the Volume! A Celebration of African Music, University of California 1999, p. 297, ill. 72
Price: 2500 - 5000 €
353 Pair of ancestor figures
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Mangbetu, Area of Uele
wood, honey brown patina, dark brown paint (coiffure), strings of fabric with attached animal claws, a male and a female, with compact bodies, showing voluminous, round forms, the arms worked in flat relief, while the hands are elaborate carved and show different gestures, crowned by cylindrical coiffures, enhancing the elegant length of the heads, slightly dam., minor missing parts (right ear of the female), hairline cracks, place of repair (both feet of the male figure), on base; a work of Dopia Mototo. A figurative bark box of the same artist was auctioned at Sotheby's New York (May 19, 2000, lot 269). The attribution is clearly proven, stylistical and by inscription: "DOPIA MOTOTO NA BAKENGE ASSALI". It came from Egon Gunther, Johannesburg, former Emil Storrer, Zurich. A further closely related example of a male bark box is kept in the collection of the Hamburg, Museum für Völkerkunde (Zwernemann/Lohse, 1985, ill. 179). Present figures, as well as the two figural bark boxes are nice examples for the naturalistic tendency in Mangbetu art. The Mangbetu settle along the banks of Bomokandi River in Northeastern Zaire. Im former times they had a prosperous kingdom. Mangbetu art in general is court-oriented, and was reserved for the ruling classes. It reflected wealth, and prestige of its owners and therefore was mainly restricted on the design of basic commodities and ritual objects. Figures are rather rare and can be looked upon as ancestor figures in general. Their style is affected by a lengthened skull, the most outstanding beauty ideal of Mangbetu aristocracy. Individuals of advanced age among the Mangbetu still designate these statues by the name "beli". According to them, they were used in hidden locals by the secret society of the name "nebeli". The rare witnesses we have to these Nebeli rites confirm the existence of statuettes of spirits or ancestors, kept at these secret places.
H: 45 cm
H: 17.7 inch
Provenance
Emil Storrer, Zurich, Switzerland
Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium
Literature
Kerchache, Jacques, Paudrat, Jean-Louis u.a., Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, Basel, Wien 1988, p. 581
Burssens, Herman, Mangbetu, Afrikaanse hofkunst uit Belgische privé-verzamlingen, Ausst.kat., Brüssel 1992, ill. 43
Baeke, Viviane (ed.), Treasures from the Africa-Museum Tervuren, Tervuren 1995, ill. 223 f.
Zwernemann, Jürgen, Lohse, Wulf, Aus Afrika, Ahnen-Geister-Götter, Hamburg 1985, p. 174, ill. 179 (work of Dopia Mototo)
Price: 50000 - 100000 €
354 Standing figure
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Mbala
wood, red patina, simplified forms, prominent neck, mouth and ears pierced, opening between the legs ("cryptofetish") for insertion of magical substances, slightly dam., cracks (front of the body, left side of the head), missing parts (foot tip, left heel), on blocklike base; the Mbala live in the Southwest of Zaire. Aside of helmet masks, they have figures called "pindi", which are usually part of a chiefs' treasure. Some are representations of drummers "limba", which are used in rites of succession of the land chiefs, but there are also maternities with children. Other anthropomorphic power objects include small male and female pairs, that "nganga" used for healing ceremonies. This very figure belonging to the latter group.
H: 34 cm
H: 13.4 inch
Provenance
Dr. Kummert, Frankfurt, Germany
Price: 2500 - 4500 €
355 Figural mortar
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Mbala
wood, reddish brown patina with remains of black paint, caryatid figure with a schematized and symmetrical arranged body, crowned by a funnel-shaped superstructure with irregular rim, slightly dam., cracks, places of repair (base, cracks within the mortar spread with blackish mass); mortars of this kind were used for making snuff, for preparing medicine or sacrificial food and for mashing "pembe", the white earth (kaolin) as well.
H: 37 cm
H: 14.6 inch
Literature
Verswijver, Gustaaf, de Palmenaer , Els u. a. (Hg.), Afrikanische Kunst - Verborgene Schätze aus dem Museum Tervuren, Ausst.kat., München, London, New York 1998, p. 104, ill. 69
Sold.
356 Figure "okifa"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Mbole
wood, middle and reddish brown patina, characterized by tube-like thin limbs, a round back, shoulders projecting to the front and unnatural vaulted arms, the head lowered, dam., cracks (face), missing part (left foot tip), on block-like base; the religious and social life of the Mbole is controlled by the "lilwa" society. Death by hanging plays an important role in Mbole society. This penalty is applied to adulterers, evil sorcerers and members of the "lilwa" society who have betrayed the society's secrets. These "okifa" (= "hanged") called figures cannot be regarded as individual portraits. However, the motif of hanging is clearly shown. They were presented to the people who were going to be initiated in order to caution them and thus served as an emphatic warning against offences and betrayal of secrets.
H: 30,5 cm
H: 12 inch
Literature
Afrikanische Skulptur, Die Erfindung der Figur, Ausst.kat., Museum Ludwig, Köln 1990, p. 213 f.
Sold.
357 Shield
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Mbugbu
cane work, partly with dark patina, slightly vaulted, wooden handle backside, woven in several crisscross layers of reed and small slats, held together with rattan fibers, thus forming a tight wickerwork, min. dam., slight signs of usage and abrasion; those shields always joined the reputation of being so closely and solidly woven that they were even able to adequately resist pointed weapons. The geometric designs of the woven fibers, painted with a mixture of soot and mud, are also particularly characteristic.
H: 126 cm
H: 49.6 inch
Literature
Zirngibl, Manfred A., Plaschke, Dieter, Afrikanische Schilde, München 1992, p. 109, ill. 99
Sold.
358 Chieftains knife
D. R. Congo, Ngombe
metal, slight signs of corrosion, brass handle, supporting a broad partly open worked blade with punched decorations, min. dam., slight signs of usage; the powerful construction of Ngombe knives, stressing beauty at the expense of function, is fascinating. The design underscores the self-confidence of the owner. Extremely rare are the oversized knives of the chieftains.
L: 72,5 cm, 19th century
L: 28.5 inch, 19th century
Literature
Fischer, Werner, Zirngibl, Manfred A., Afrikanische Waffen, Passau 1978, p. 102, ill. 179
Price: 1300 - 2500 €
359 Standing figure
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Ngombe
wood, dark brown patina, painted with dots in red and white pigment, three short legs supporting a cylindrical trunk with dish-shaped cavity, dominated by a long neck, carrying a flat head with rectangular deepened eye zone, slightly dam., cracks (mouth-, neck- and breast-area, dish-shaped cavity), missing parts (dish-shaped cavity), paint rubbed off; since 1870 the Ngombe live in various areas in the Northeastern part of Zaire, between the rivers Ubangi and Zaire. Their art shows a big resemblance with their neighbours, the Ngbandi, Bwaka, Togbo and Ngala, so that a clear distinction is difficult. The few figures known from the Ngombe were used by the diviner "bendo" before the hunt.
H: 66,5 cm
H: 26.2 inch
Provenance
H. Peter Loebarth, Hameln, Gemany (80s 20th century)
Literature
Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk (ed.), Ubangi - Art and Cultures from the African Heartland, Africa Museum, Berg en Dal, 2008, p. 136
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 298
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, The Handbook, Brüssel 1987, p. 127, ill.8
Price: 4500 - 10000 €
360 Mask
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Nyindu
light brown wood, red and white paint, square form, eyes and mouth pierced, the sides of the masks and the mouth decorated with notches, the facial plane divided in four parts, alternating dyed with red and white pigment, a pyro-engraved dotted pattern framing the eyes, repeated at the chin, dam., small missing parts and traces of insect caused damage, slight signs of abrasion, on metal base; male mask type, presumably representing an ancestor.
H: 25 cm
H: 9.8 inch
Provenance
Marc L. Felix, Brussels, Belgium
Published in
Felix, Marc L., Maniema, München 1989, p. 96 f., ill. 21
Sold.
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