Online catalogue for the 65th tribal art auction
221 Mask "amawalu"
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Ibo-Afikbo
wood, partly shiny patina, polychromic paint, of abstract form, broad slit eyes flanking an open-worked forehead-nose-ridge, surmounted by a high towering projection with triangular piercings, painted with dotted pattern, pierced around the rim, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, on metal base; the Afikpo, an eastern Ibo group who live on the Cross River, comprise a distinctive substyle within the diverse Ibo style range. Their masks, carved with elaborate patterns and painted in bold colors, create a multitude of characters for their popular "okumkpa" masquerade and other dramatizations. This strikingly abstract mask is a carver's tour de force, combining a lively play of geometry with a bird's beak. This may be a hornbill's beak, since hornbills are such significant birds as "obdurate sentinels" standing at the cusp of our world and the otherworld; but, as likely as not, the mask more general reference to "birdness". The "birdness" may be a general reference to what birds represent - e.g. an ability to fly between earth and heaven -, rather than a more specific one to a particular sort of bird.
H: 60,5 cm
H: 23.8 inch
Provenance
Alan Potamkin, Miami, Florida, USA
Published in
Kahan, Leonard u.a., Surfaces, colors, substances, and ritual applications on African sculpture, Indiana 2009, plate 39
Literature
Robbins, Warren M., Ingram Nooter, Nancy, African Art in American Collections, o.O. 1989, p. 261, ill. 687
Roberts, Allen F., The shape of belief, San Francisco 1997, p. 88, ill. 61
Sold.
222 Pair of figures from an "anjenu" shrine
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Idoma
light wood, polychrome paint, male/female, the male wears a narrow-brimmed european hat, both he and his spirit wife lean forward, displaying a tense energy, min. dam., rep. (right foot and hand of the female figure), cracks, traces of abrasion; carved by the artist Ochai of Otobi (died around 1950). Unlike most other artists, Ochai was a full-time sculptor and had commissions from a wide range of villages beyond Otobi. His style is bold and expressive. Sculptures of the Idoma are quite rare. They were carved as representatives of the kinship line "ekwotame", or as water- and bush-spirits "anjenu".
H: 46,5 cm resp. 52 cm
H: 18.3 inch resp. 20.5 inch
Provenance
Iris Silverman, Los Angeles, USA
Literature
Berns, Marla C. et. al.; Arts of the Benue River Valley, Los Angeles 2011, p. 88 f.
Neyt, Francois, The Arts of the Benue, Belgien 1985, p. 113
Price: 8000 - 15000 €
223 Figure "ikenga"
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, matt patina, kaolin, in form of a female figure with long horns, large mouth with revealed teeth, dam., missing parts (legs), cracks, on base; an "ikenga" figure is carved on the occasion of the foundation of a house because it is representing strength and protection, it will be destroyed in case of the owner´s death. The horns are the most important part of the figure, they are related to the god of thunder. "Ikenga" figures are formed variable, they can be carved naturalistic or abstract.
H: 59 cm
H: 23.2 inch
Provenance
Private Collection, Austria
Published in
Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 351
Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 7
Price: 2000 - 4000 €
224 Figure "ikenga"
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, matt partly encrusted patina, remains of kaolin, a cylindrical body with multiple breasts, a strong neck supporting an oval elongated head, flanked by two long horns, min. dam., cracks
H: 40,5 cm
H: 15.9 inch
Provenance
Private Collection, Austria
Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 6
Sold.
225 Figure "ikenga"
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, partly encrusted matt patina, remains of kaolin, of cylindrical, abstract form, et. al. carved with two small human faces, crowned by a stylized head with a pair of horns, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion
H: 33,5 cm
H: 13.2 inch
Provenance
Galerie Inge Hett, Berlin, Germany
Sold.
226 Figure "ikenga"
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, matt encrusted patina, strings of glass beads, reminding of a neckrest, carved with a stylized human face, dam., cracks, missing parts, traces of abrasion
H: 16,5 cm; L: 15,5 cm, coll. in situ, 1963 -1973
H: 6.5 inch; L: 6.1 inch, coll. in situ, 1963 -1973
Sold.
227 Two figures "ikenga"
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, matt, partly encrusted patina, kaolin, of abstract form, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion; this type, generally small in size, is found among the Okoba and other southwestern Igbo groups. It contains several of the essential elements of "ikenga" art (stool, human effigy, horns) combined in a rather minimal and stylized form.
H: 18 cm resp. 21 cm, coll. in situ, 1963 -1973
H: 7.1 inch resp. 8.3 inch, coll. in situ, 1963 -1973
Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 9
Sold.
228 Female shrine figure "alusi"
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, polychrome paint, a slender body with bent arms and upturned palms, tribe-typical scarification marks, surmounted by an elaborate coiffure with a raised middle crest, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion, on base; these big figures, which often appear in pairs or according to the archetype of a family in a whole group of figures, were kept in sanctuaries or in so-called "m'bari" relaxation rooms for men. They were called "alusi". Scarification marks and certain attributes specify the rank of the person they represent. For big celebrations they received a new paint and were clothed in typical Igbo costumes. Since the Igbo don't have an administrative institution adjusting conflicts between single persons or whole clans, the "alusi" have the task to decide if a complaint is reasonable or not. The respondent has to swear an oath in the sanctuary and the oracle speaks, by making him ill, if he lied.
H: 110,5 cm
H: 43.5 inch
Provenance
A. De Jong, The Netherlands
Literature
de Grunne, Bernard, Ana & Antonio Casanovas, Igbo, Brüssel 2010, p. 66 f., ill. 23
Price: 3000 - 6000 €
229 Mask
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, encrusted, dark brown patina, tribe-typical facial features, raised scarification marks in the area of forehead and temples, dam., rep., missing parts and traces of insect caused damage, cracks, on wooden base
H: 23,5 cm
H: 9.3 inch
Provenance
Aloys Faust, Cologne, Germany
Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany
Literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 58
Price: 750 - 1500 €
230 Mask "agbogho mmwo"
This object is not available any more.
Nigeria, Igbo
wood, remains of kaolin and indigo blue pigment, encrusted black patina, the coiffure arranged in concentrical grooved lines with middle crest, teeth-revealing mouth, scarification marks on the temples removed (?), dam., missing parts (above all at the rim), paint rubbed off, on base
H: 27 cm, coll. in situ, 1968
H: 10.6 inch, coll. in situ, 1968
Sold.
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