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

591 Figurative part of an "aloala" grave post

This object is not available any more.

Madagascar, Mahafaly

light brown wood, couple in erotic pose, in height of the standing females shanks cut off from the post, the surface structure extremely marked by eolian corrasion and weathering, cracks, missing parts (head, right wrist of the female), on base; the grave posts called "aloala" (" shadow of death") were placed on the big burial grounds "valavato" of distinguished clans. These tombs cannot be visited without consulting the village chief and making an offering to the ancestors. The reference in these erotic grave posts is to copulation leading to conception and actual rebirth into the world of the ancestors. It is interesting to note that such erotic statues are not found on the tombs of monarchs: it is believed that the soul of a deceased king is not reborn into the ancestor's world, but stays on earth and manifests itself in one of his subjects.

H: 70 cm
H: 27.6 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Ghent, Belgium

Literature
Phillips, Tom (Hg.), Afrika, Die Kunst eines Kontinents, Berlin 1996, p. 148 f.
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 400 f.

Price: 25000 - 50000 €

592 Cow charm

This object is not available any more.

Kenya, Massai

knotted leather strap for support, clapper-shaped ivory pendant with drilled hole for attachment, slightly dam., cracks (ivory pendant); was tied around the most favourites cows neck for protection.

L: 30 cm (Lederband); L: 7,5 cm (Anhänger)
L: 11.8 inch (Lederband); L: 3 inch (Anhänger)

Literature
Böhning, Walter, Kalter, Johannes u.a., Ostafrika - Geräte, Waffen, Schmuck, Ausst.kat., Heidelberg 1972, B 55

Sold.

593 Dance crest

This object is not available any more.

Kenya, Turkana

bonnet-shaped wig made of real hair with ear flaps and half-spherical bulge above the forehead, on the outside coated with a crudely corded fabric, which is dyed with polychrome paint, two rows of inserted casings on the parting with tufts of black ostrich feathers inserted, on base; used by old men for ceremonial purposes. The cap seems to be an imitation of a similar complex hairdo that is found among the Suk and the Pokot of Kenya.

L: 24 cm; H: ca. 41 cm
L: 9.4 inch; H: ca. 16.1 inch

Provenance
Monika Edelmaier, Berlin, Germany

Literature
Biebuyck, Daniel P., van den Abbeele, Nelly, The Power of Headdresses, Brüssel 1984, ill. 56

Sold.

594 Standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

Tanzania, Bena

wood, shiny dark brown patina, of slender form with accentuated breasts, framed by movable arms, wearing a red glass bead necklace, min. dam., crack, missing part (right foot), on wooden base

H: 32,5 cm
H: 12.8 inch

Price: 800 - 1500 €

595 Standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

Tanzania, Makonde

wood, matt, reddish brown patina, blackened in some parts, two strings of glass beads, with bent legs standing on tiptoes (dancing posture ?), incised tattoos on face and breast, min. dam., traces of abrasion, cracks (back of the head), on metal plate; figures of the Makonde are rarely to be found, most of them are in museums, only a few of them in private collections. Most of them are females in a so-called "dancing posture". There is nothing known about their usage.

H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch

Provenance
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, Auktion 46, 20. Mai 2006, lot 461
Private Collection, USA

Literature
Art Makondé, Tradition et modernité, Malesherbes 1989, p. 96

Price: 2000 - 4000 €

596 Standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

Tanzania, Nyamwezi

wood, middle brown patina, strings of glass beads, mouth and chin area coated with silver metal sheet, the temples stud with nails, dam., paint rubbed off, missing parts (both foot tips); presumably part of couple male/female, depicting mythical or real ancestors. They were kept in the house of the clan leader or in small shrines, where they received sacrifices to keep them well-disposed.

H: 45,5 cm
H: 17.9 inch

Sold.

597 Small fertility doll "mwana hiti"

This object is not available any more.

Tanzania, Zaramo

wood, brown patina, black paint remains, typical form, min. dam., minor missing parts; Zaramo female initiates keep such figures during their period of seclusion and coming out ceremonies. After the ceremony the young women wear the "mwana hiti" around the neck. The doll is a kind of substitute child, until the woman will have a "real" one.

H: 12 cm
H: 4.7 inch

Literature
Dagan, Esther A., African Dolls for play and magic, Montreal 1990, p. 127

Sold.

598 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Angola, Luena

light brown wood, spotty patina, of round form with triple-curved eyebrows, scarification marks in the area of the forehead and chin, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion, on base; the Lovale are an ethnic group in the border territory between Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lovale art is best known for its masks, figures are realtive rare. Most of them represent deceased chiefs, protective spirits and pregnant women or maternities.

H: 22 cm
H: 8.7 inch

Provenance
Peter Loebarth, Hameln, Germany

Literature
Jordán, Manuel, Makishi - Mask Characters of Zambia, Los Angeles, 2006, p. 41

Sold.

599 Receptacle in shape of a bird

This object is not available any more.

Sambia, Rotse

wood, blackish brown patina, stylized form, the short curved neck and the small head forming the handle, slightly dam., paint rubbed off, place of repair (neck, tail), crack (backmost end)

L: 38,5 cm
L: 15.2 inch

Price: 1300 - 2500 €

600 Standing female doll

This object is not available any more.

South Africa, Sotho

clay, reddish brown patina, blackened in parts, cantilevered forms, head without recognizable facial features, decorated with dots, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion, on metal plate

H: 26,5 cm
H: 10.4 inch

Literature
Evocations of the Child, Fertility figures of the southern African region, Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, 1998, p. 42, ill. 3

Sold.