Online catalogue for the 63rd tribal art auction with special part 'wunderkammer'

381 Small female doll

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Malinke

wood, shiny, brown patina, scarification marks, the eyes inset with metal tags, coiffure with lobes, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base

H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch

Price: 300 - 600 €

382 Mask "kore"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Marka

wood, shiny patina, metal sheet, indigo blue paint remains, oval hollowed base, carved with a narrow face with elongated chin, nearly the whole face coated with punched copper sheet, headgear in shape of a bird, pierced around the rim, min. dam., fissures, on base

H: 37 cm
H: 14.6 inch

Literature
Polfliet, Leo, Malinke, Marka, Bamana, Minianka, München 1983, p. 16

Price: 1500 - 3000 €

383 Mask "kore"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Marka

light brown wood, matt patina, remains of indigo blue pigment, of oval hollowed form, carved with a narrow face with elongated chin, emphasized by vertical protruding horns and a long nose bridge, competely coated with punched metal sheet, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion, minor missing part (right horn tip), on base; all along the Niger this mask type is used for ceremonies associated with fishing and agriculture. The Marka are divided into the Marka, or Soninke Marka, living in Mali, and the Dafing or Dafing-Marka, settling in Burkina Faso. Both groups are cultivating different mask traditions, very similiar to those of the surrounding ethnic groups.

H: 49 cm
H: 19.3 inch

Provenance
Gapereaux, Toulouse, France

Price: 6000 - 12000 €

384 Mask "nwenka"

This object is not available any more.

Burkina Faso, Bobo

light brown wood, matt patina, black and red paint remains, of elongated form with raised nose ridge, crowned by two pointed horns and a high-towering open-worked superstructure, pierced around the rim, min. dam., traces of abrasion; the "nwenka" mask is one of the oldest and most sacred wooden masks that perform at Bobo masquerades. Tradition claims it dated from the time of creation when "wuro", the Creator God, molded the world from moist clay and made creatures to inhabit it. The first humans he created were the blacksmith and his wife. When "wuro" eventually retreated from the perfect world he had created, he left his three sons behind to help mankind maintain the balance between the opposing forces in the world. His most important son is "dwo". The "nwenka" mask embodies the spirit of "dwo" and ultimately "wuro's" spirit. The "nwenka" masked dance imitates "wuro's" creating the world. These masks are worn with a costume of thick fibres.

H: 134 cm
H: 52.8 inch

Provenance
Coll. Georges-Jean Häfeli, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

Literature
Walker, Roslyn Adele, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art, New Haven 2009, ill. 34

Price: 9000 - 18000 €

385 Buffalo mask

This object is not available any more.

Burkina Faso, Bwa

wood, dark brown patina, long snout, triangular in diameter, crowned by mighty, nearly circular closed horns, the incised zigzag and diamond-shaped ornaments coated with thick encrusted layers of paint, dam., minor missing parts and abrasion, old place of repair (snout), traces of wear backside, on base; the animal masks represent "spirits of the wild" a lineage feels special relatedness with and expects protection of the field work.

H: 73 cm
H: 28.7 inch

Published in
L. van Ham, R. van Dijk, Africa - Art and Culture of the Upper-Volta, Rotterdam 1980, Chapter XIV

Sold.

386 Figure "bangala"

This object is not available any more.

Burkina Faso, Dagari

wood, encrusted greyish brown patina, sacrificial traces, highly abstract in form, in the shape of a reversed "Y", cracks, traces of weathering, minor missing parts, on metal plate; in the nineties of the last century the Dagaris phallic conceived abstract ancestor figures came to be known overseas. Each of these figures represents a deceased family member. They were placed on the ancestor shrines of families and were used in the ancestral cult.

H: 84,5 cm
H: 33.3 inch

Provenance
Dr. Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich, Germany

Literature
Förster, Till, Skulptur in Westafrika, Masken und Figuren aus Burkina Faso, Freiburg im Breisgau 1995, p. 122

Sold.

387 Divination bracelet "mwani"

This object is not available any more.

Burkina Faso, Bwa

brass, dark brown patina in some areas, twisted ring, decorated with a sitting pair of bush spirits, wire stand; during a consultation these bracelets were not worn, but placed on the ground next to the sooth sayer.

D: 7,5 cm
D: 3 inch

Literature
Glar, Wilfried, Die materialisierte Kultur der Ethnien der Volta-Region, Bedburg 2008, p. 94

Sold.

388 Two bracelets

This object is not available any more.

Burkina Faso, Gurunsi

Cu alloy, narrow open ring, decorated with two pairs of bowls and funnel-shaped projection in the middle, presumably Nuna, Burkina Faso, d: 7 cm, dark brown patina; open ring with cord ornaments in relief, decorated with four thorn-like projections in pairs and a knob-shaped ornament in the middle, presumably Frafra/Burkina Faso, d: 7 cm; the Gurunsi (especially Frafra) used the casting technique with Cu alloy (bronze) much earlier than the Lobi. Cu alloys are based on copper with aluminium, tin or silicium, often with allotment of iron, nickel and mangan.

Literature
Glar, Wilfried, Die materialisierte Kultur der Ethnien der Volta-Region, Bedburg 2008, p. 61

Sold.

389 Dance staff

This object is not available any more.

Burkina Faso, Lobi

wood, spotty brown patina, slightly curved handle, carved with a dotted serpent, crowned by a sitting janus figure with delicate facial features, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion and usage; presumably workshop of Sikire Kambire; figural carved dance staffs were used by young men. They used to hold them in the right hand while dancing. They ought to be as beautiful as possible, so that their owners could "show off".

L: 72,5 cm
L: 28.5 inch

Provenance
Jean-Baptiste Bedaux, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Literature
Meyer, Piet, Kunst und Religion der Lobi, Museum Rietberg, Zürich 1981, p. 152, ill. 204

Price: 3000 - 6000 €

390 Stool

This object is not available any more.

Burkina Faso, Lobi

wood, light reddish brown patina,, three legs supporting a narrow, slightly hollowed seat, carved with a handle in shape of a human head with disc-shaped crested coiffure, slightly dam., minor missing part (left ear), cracks; workshop of Sikire Kambire (compare: Piete Meyer, 1981, ill. 189). Every initiated Lobi man owned such a stool. On travels, the stools were carried over the left shoulder. In case of emergency the relative insecure seats could be used as weapon as well.

H: 14 cm; L: 58 cm
H: 5.5 inch; L: 22.8 inch

Provenance
Old Collection, Great Britain

Literature
Meyer, Piet, Kunst und Religion der Lobi, Museum Rietberg, Zürich 1981
Bocola, Sandro (Hg.), Afrikanische Sitze, München, New York 1994, p. 59

Price: 1000 - 2000 €