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

491 "Gelede" mask "igi agasa" (apasa)

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, black patina, helmet-shaped, carved with a small mask face, eyes with trapezoid pupils, long horns/ears, a half-circular flattened beard, slightly dam., minor missing parts (head, left face half), missing parts through insect caused damage (lower rim), on base; the "agasa" mask is supposed to radiate physical strength, spirtual courage, status and religious leadership. Typical features of "agasa" are the beard and the two erect protrusions which are sometimes referred to as ears and sometimes as hunting knives. They appear during night-time gatherings where in special songs abuses and corruption in the community are fiercely criticized.

H: 43 cm
H: 16.9 inch

Provenance
Coll. Carl Otto Hultén, Malmö, Sweden (member of the Cobra-Group)

Literature
Lawal, Babatunde, The Gèlèdé Spectacle, Seattle, London 1996, p. 207, ill. 7.19
Drewal, Henry John, Thompson Drewal, Margaret, Gelede - Art and Female Power among the Yoruba, Bloomington 1983, p. 96 f.
Witte, Hans, A Closer Look, Local Styles in the Yoruba Art Collection of the Africa Museum, Berg en Dal 2004, p. 29

Price: 10000 - 20000 €

492 Body mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Anago

wood, polychrome paint, showing the body of a pregnant woman, emphasized female sex characteristics and navel, dam., cracks, missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on metal base; accessory to a "gelede" masquerade costume. "Gelede" mask dancers are always young men, even if they have to play the part of women. The difference between the sexes is emphasized in the costumes and dance steps.

H: 57 cm
H: 22.4 inch

Literature
Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika - Tradition und Moderne in Südnigeria, Linz 1997, p. 263, ill. III/7.42

Price: 1800 - 3500 €

493 Bell "omo"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

brass, dark patina, of pyramidal form, decorated with a human face, complete with clapper, min. dam., cracks, traces of corrosion; such bells were used for ritual purposes, probably to get in contact with the ancestors.

H: 16 cm
H: 6.3 inch

Literature
Witte, Hans, A Closer Look, Local Styles in the Yoruba Art Collection of the Africa Museum, Berg en Dal 2004, p. 222

Price: 500 - 1000 €

494 Ladle

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, dark brown patina, oval bowl-shaped spoon, the short handle carved with a bearded head, slightly dam. (eyes, nose, ears), missing parts (rim at the bottom), paint rubbed off; such spoons are signs of wealth, because only people who could afford rich and manifold food owned such elaborate carved spoons. They were also used to sacrifice the ancestors to ensure their favour and protection.

L: 33 cm
L: 13 inch

Provenance
Marceau Rivière, Paris, France

Price: 2500 - 5000 €

495 Ceremonial poker "iwana ogun"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

iron, brass, handle and hook-shaped ending, each decorated with a human head, connected by an iron staff, traces of corrosion, on base; used for making "edan" staffs. Decorated examples, like the present, served as dignitary staffs of the blacksmith's legitimating them as messengers.

L: 59 cm
L: 23.2 inch

Provenance
Coll. Speidel und Wolf, Zurich, Switzerland
Dr. Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich, Germany
Hampel, Spezial Auktion Afrika/Asien, 6. Dezember 1996, lot 1608

Literature
Dobbelmann, Th.A.H.M., Der Ogboni-Geheimbund, Berg en Dal 1976, p. 60 f.
Thompson, Robert Farris, Black Gods and Kings, Los Angeles 1971, chapter 7

Sold.

496 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, brown patina, of oval vaulted form, showing slightly asymmetrical facial features, a protruding mouth with whitened teeth, scarification marks in the area of forehead and cheeks, accentuated with indigoblue paint, pierced around the rim, min. dam., missing parts (rim), on metal base

H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch

Price: 1000 - 2000 €

497 Big helmet mask

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields, Bamenda

wood, brown patina, small traces of metallic finish, camwood powder, kaolin, indigo blue paint, plant fibre cord, figures of two cats on top, lizards in flat relief aside the cheeks, a wide facial plane, the triangular flat nose corresponding with the tapering chin, old collection number in white paint backside at the rim "622", dam., cracks, missing part (right ear, head), on base; reminding of the "agwe" masks of the Widekum.

H: 50 cm
H: 19.7 inch

Provenance
Steyler Mission, Reg.Nr. 622, Inventarisierungskarte in Kopie vorhanden

Price: 1800 - 3500 €

498 Mask "nkoh" of the "kungan" society

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke

wood, encrusted brown patina, remains of kaolin and animal hair, collection number "73559" on the rear, pierced around the rim, min. dam., rep., missing parts, traces of insect caused damage, on base; one of the most dangerous and ferocious Bamileke masks, just used on occasion of big festivities. During the perfomance the mask was fixed by ropes and sprinkled with water in order to calm its aggressiveness. "Kungan" is a kind of religious society, led by nine priests, responsible for healing and truth telling.

H: 34,5 cm
H: 13.6 inch

Provenance
Old European Collection

Literature
Robbins, Warren M., Ingram Nooter, Nancy, African Art in American Collections, o.O. 1989, p. 310, ill. 793

Sold.

499 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke

heavy wood, brown, partly encrusted patina, voluminous forms, showing Grass field-typical facial features: big eyes, a nose with inflated nostrils, a laughing, teeth-revealing mouth, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion, missing part on the rear

H: 37 cm
H: 14.6 inch

Provenance
Bernd Muhlack, Kiel, Germany

Sold.

500 Mask of a dignitary

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields, Bamum

light brown wood, dark brown patina, kaolin, helmet-shaped, of voluminous forms, disc-shaped headgear with circular drillings, dam., missing parts (alar wings, lips), cracks, slight traces of abrasion, on base

H: 46,5 cm
H: 18.3 inch

Literature
Northern, Tamara, Expressions of Cameroon art, The Franklin Collection, 1986, p. 48, ill. 34

Price: 600 - 1200 €