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

461 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igala

wood, slightly encrusted brown patina, helmet-shaped, the face dominated by a broad teeth-revealing mouth, parallel incisions, rep. (et. al. metal clamp), minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on base

H: 37 cm
H: 14.6 inch

Exposed in
Museum der Volkenkunde, Loan Exhibition, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 1960

Literature
Neyt, Francois, The Arts of the Benue, Belgien 1985, p. 51

Sold.

462 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igbirra

wood, spotted blackis brown patina, pierced eyes and mouth, dam., surface signed by strong traces of insect caused damage, missing parts, cracks, on base

H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch

Provenance
collected around 1910

Sold.

463 Standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igbo

wood, matt patina, remains of kaolin and black paint, necklace of wooden beads, movable arms, carved with broad bracelets, min. dam., cracks, minor missing parts through insect caused damage (base); emphasis on sexual characteristics is most often found in masquerade puppets used to indicate deviant sexual behavior, though the use of this atypical figure is uncertain.

H: 37 cm
H: 14.6 inch

Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, ill. 25

Price: 800 - 1600 €

464 Doll

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igbo

light brown wood, kaolin, black paint in some areas, shell necklace, elongated legs and extremely short stump arms representing the palms of the hands, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base

H: 35,5 cm
H: 14 inch

Provenance
Harrie Heinemans, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

Price: 1000 - 2000 €

465 Deformation mask "idiok ekpo"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igbo

wood, brown, partly encrusted patina, red and white pigment, typical deferred facial features: one eye pierced, the other one with extremely hanging lid, partly encrusted with clay-like mass mixed with plant fibres, slightly dam., missing parts through insect caused damage (forehead, rim right hand side, backside), on metal base; illness or deformation mask, belonging to the "idiok" masks, which were used to be danced at masquerades of the "ekpo" society, depicting people suffering of untreated leprosy, gangosa, syphilitic lesions, or mucosal leishmaniasis.

H: 28 cm
H: 11 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Great Britain

Sold.

466 Mask "lughulu"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igbo

wood, shiny brown patina, remains of black paint, open mouth with visible teeth, scarification marks in the area of forehead and temples, pierced around the rim, slight traces of abrasion, on metal base; depicting a beautiful young woman, used in a "play" called "lughulu" that includes the familiar opposition of pretty females and ugly males.

H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch

Provenance
Wolfgang Klein, Vienna, Austria

Literature
Cole, Herbert M., Aniakor, Chike C., Igbo Arts, Community and Cosmos, Los Angeles 1984, p. 166, ill. 279

Sold.

467 Architectural shrine fragment

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igbo

wood, matt dark brown patina, camwood powder, board-shaped flattened, large hole in the middle, carved with a stylized lizzard, the window-like frame with snakes motif in flat relief, plug-shaped projection on top for mortising, slightly dam., minor missing parts (upper rim), cracks

H: 46 cm; B:
H: 18.1 inch; B:

Price: 500 - 1000 €

468 Door wing

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Igbo

wood, matt dark brown patina, geometrical decor in relief: a horizontal grooved zone with concentric circle ornament in the middle, diamond-shaped motifs above and below, drilled holes, slightly dam., minor missing parts (rims), paint rubbed off, cracks, traces of weathering

H: 104 cm; B: 44 cm
H: 40.9 inch; B: 17.3 inch

Provenance
Old Private Collection, The Netherlands

Literature
Cole, Herbert M., Aniakor, Chike C., Igbo Arts, Community and Cosmos, Los Angeles 1984, p. 69

Price: 900 - 1800 €

469 Waterspirit headdress

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Ijaw

wood, encrusted brown patina, traces of blackish mass, helmet-shaped calotte, horizontally crowned by the elongated corpus of a crossopterygian, the fins grooved, gills and scales indicated, dam., missing parts (dorsal and tail fins), the calotte showing severe traces of insect caused damage, paint rubbed off, traces of old age and weathering, on base; the life of the Ijaw who live in the extreme wateriness of the Niger Delta is closely connected to water, which is why their headdresses depict aquatic beings instead of bush spirits. They show a great variety, aside of crocodiles, hammerhead and tiger sharks, even barracudas are depicted. In any case they display threatening features, behave unpredictably and aggressively attack people. Instead of taking the threatening demeanor of their aquatic monsters seriously, however, the Ijaw tend to spoof it. Nevertheless their perfomance attempts to beat back hostile spirits and neutralize their power.

L: 70 cm
L: 27.6 inch

Provenance
Christie's Paris, Art Africain, Océanien et Précolumbien, Mardi 7 juin 2005, lot 210

Literature
Anderson, Martha G., Ways of the Rivers, Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta, Los Angeles 2002, p. 152 f.

Price: 5000 - 10000 €

470 Elephant mask "ogbodo enyi"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Izzi

wood, polychrome paint, a stylized elephant head with triangular protruding snout and long tusks, carved with small anthropomorphic mask faces, completely coated with geometrical patterns in black, white and orange paint, pierced around the rim, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion, on metal base; this mask was worn horizontally on top of the head, the holes at the lower rim served for attachment of raphia fibres covering the head of the dancer, who was wearing a long costume made of plaited plant fibres.

L: 61 cm
L: 24 inch

Literature
Masques "Elephant" Igbo, Nigeria, Galerie Helene Kramer, Paris 1980, ill. 16

Price: 4000 - 8000 €