Online catalogue for the 60th tribal art auction
51 Helmet mask "sowei" of "bundu" society
This object is not available any more.
Sierra Leone, Mende
wood, matt blackish brown patina, cylindrical, high vaulted coiffure with knob-shaped end piece, the facial features situated within the lower third of the oval facial plane, delicate modelled, slightly dam. (nose, forehead), minor missing parts at the rim backside, traces of insect caused damage at the same place; this mask type was exclusively worn by members of the "sande" women society. It represents female water spirits and was always provided with idealized female features. Corresponding to fashion the coiffures varyied in form and style.
H: 31,5 cm
H: 12.4 inch
Literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Afrikanische Masken aus der Sammlung Barbier-Mueller, Genf, München, New York 1997, cat. 70 f.
Price: 1900 - 3500 €
52 Stone figure "nomoli"
This object is not available any more.
Sierra Leone, Sherbro
lime stone, kneeling on a round base, holding a child, compact figure with overdimensional head, protruding eyes and mouth, hole on top, min. dam., slight signs of abrasion; such figures were found in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and on the Ivory Coast. They were used in fertility rites to grant a good rice harvest. The treatment of the "nomoli" was not affected by reference for them. If the harvest was not satisfying, it might have happened that the stone figures were whipped, sometimes until they were damaged or even destroyed.
H: 25,5 cm
H: 10 inch
Provenance
Galerie d' Eendt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Literature
Tagliaferri, Aldo, Hammacher, Arno, Die steinernen Ahnen, Alte Steinplastik aus Sierra Leone & Guinea, Graz 1974, ill. 33
Price: 3000 - 6500 €
53 Seated figure
This object is not available any more.
Guinea-Bissau, Bidyogo
heavy wood, middle brown patina, red pigment, the compact body marked by extremely broad, massive shoulders and tube-like curved legs emerging from the abdomen, a strong neck supporting a proportionally small head with metal eyes and tonsure, incised herringbone pattern across the breast, slightly dam., missing parts (the bigger part of the base and both feet), traces of insect caused damage (head, back of the neck); the Bidyogo are a small ethnic group living on the Bissago Islands offshore Guinea-Bissau. Everything sacred, bares the Creole name "iran", and causes awe and respect among the people. The big spirit as master of the earth is called upon before every agronomic project is started, as well as for all attempts concerning the community, like initiation, enthronement of a chief or funeral festivities. When the deity is depicted anthropomorph, he is shown seated, with the hands resting on the curved rims of the seat, as is the case with the present figure.
H: 43,5 cm
H: 17.1 inch
Provenance
Merton Simpson, New York, USA
Literature
Kerchache, Jacques, Paudrat, Jean-Louis, Stephan, Lucien, Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, Basel, Wien 1988, p. 527
Sold.
54 Female figure "jo nyeleni"
This object is not available any more.
Mali, Bamana
wood, oily reddish brown patina, standing on a round stool with five angular struts, the body showing schematized forms, slightly bent legs supporting a protruding belly, angular shoulders merging into free worked arms with carved rings, crowned by a narrow head with tribe-typical facial features, the eyes inset with metal tags, provided with earrings and high forehead comb, min. dam., slight signs of abrasion
H: 56 cm
H: 22 inch
Provenance
Private Collection, Italy
Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2001, p. 148
Price: 2500 - 4500 €
55 Female figure "jo nyeleni"
Mali, Bamana
wood, spotty, brown patina, rising from thin legs, supporting a slender trunk with tapering breasts and square shoulders, oval head with simplified facial features, min. dam., rep. (right leg), traces of insect caused damage, slight signs of abrasion, on wooden base; such figures represent the "beautiful young women of jo". The new initiates travelled around for several months, visiting the villages nearby to point out their new state of adulthood, and demonstrate their wish to marry. "Nyeleni" figures illustrate the characteristic features of young Bamana women of marriageable age.
H: 68 cm
H: 26.8 inch
Provenance
Adrian Schlag, Brussels, Belgium
Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg, Zürich 2001, p. 157, ill. 140
Price: 3800 - 8000 €
56 Hyaena mask "suruku"
This object is not available any more.
Mali, Bamana
wood, blackish brown patina, encrusted in some areas, of stylized form, the eyes arranged in sustained triangles, the forehead with raised middle ridge, horseshoe-shaped ears, slightly dam. (ears, left eye), missing part and crack backside at the rim, small traces of insect caused damage (at the bottom of the snout), place of repair (right ear), on metal base; the masks were looked upon as carriers of energy, and already during their making they received blood sacrifices. During the performance the dancers took a crooked posture, leaning on short sticks, which optical lengthens their arms and imitates the bearing of the hyaena. The meaning of the hyaena mask differs according to the respective context of its appearance. Within the scope of the "koré" celebration the hyaena in most cases symbolizes the effort of the initiate to perfect their secret knowledge.
H: 33 cm
H: 13 inch
Provenance
Coll. Lorenz, Leipzig, Germany
Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg, Zürich 2001, p. 116 f.
Price: 3000 - 6000 €
57 Hyaena mask "suruku"
This object is not available any more.
Mali, Bamana
wood, reddish brown patina, traces of black paint, of stylized form with a slender, angled nose bridge and long ears, particular remarkable is the open, teeth-revealing snout on the forehead, the face coated with linear cross-tattoos, slightly dam., minor missing parts (snout on the forehead), cracks, paint rubbed off, on metal base; the inauguration into "koré" society, marks the transition of young boys to grown-up men. The "koré" is celebrated every seven years. A community of young initiates of different age experiences their symbolic death. In order to "revive" as adults, they have to abandon the privileges of childhood from now on and have to prove their ability to be a "cè fari", a "strong-minded man".
H: 36 cm
H: 14.2 inch
Provenance
Coll. Prof. Knöll, Jena, Germany
Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg, Zürich 2001, Kat. 109
Price: 3500 - 7000 €
58 Mask "ntomo"
This object is not available any more.
Mali, Bamana
brown, dull patina, of oval form, crowned by seven, vertically protruding horns, old collection label on the back, min. dam., rep. (horns), signs of abrasion, missing parts (left horn)
H: 55 cm
H: 21.7 inch
Provenance
Private Collection, Italy
Literature
Bambara sculpture from the Western Sudan, The Museum of Primitive Art, New York 1960, ill. 31 ff.
Sold.
59 Antelope dance crest "tjiwara"
This object is not available any more.
Mali, Bamana
light brown wood, brown spotty patina, horizontal type, a geometrical body rising from a rectangular base, an elongated head with long pointed backswept ears and horns, min. dam., signs of abrasion, missing parts (horns), 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: 22 cm; L: 51 cm
H: 8.7 inch; L: 20.1 inch
Literature
Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Afrikanische Kunst aus Mali, Museum Rietberg Zürich 2001, p. 225, cat. 216
Price: 700 - 1400 €
60 Face mask
This object is not available any more.
Mali, Dogon
wood, greyish brown patina with residues of black, white and indigo blue paint, rectangular box with a flat front, the actual, highly abstract mask face raised, crowned by five tooth-shaped projections, a crossbar backside, allowing the dancer to fix the mask with his teeth, slightly dam., crack, missing parts through insect caused damage (aside and backside), paint rubbed off, on base; all masks belong to the "awa" societies and appear every two or three years at the "dama", the final commemorative ceremony for important Dogon elders, who died in the meantime. During his research in the 1930s Marcel Griaule documented more than seventy different mask types, representing animals, birds, human characters, and abstract forms. Present mask presumably representing an antelope "walu". Her dance reminds of a mythological incident.
H: 67 cm
H: 26.4 inch
Provenance
Old Private Collection, France
Literature
Ezra, Kate, Art of the Dogon, Selections from the Lester Wunderman Collection, Metropolitan Museum, New York 1988, p. 73
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 131
Price: 2800 - 5500 €
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