Online catalogue for the 65th tribal art auction

241 Ancestor figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Mumuye

wood, partly shiny brown patina, stylized facial features with scarification marks, the coiffure arranged in two lobes with middle crest, min. dam., cracks, minor missing parts through insect caused damage, on wooden base; Mumuye figures are employed in a variety of contexts. They are associated with, among other things, rain-making, iron working, healing, initiations, warfare, and the dispensation of justice. They represent various ancestors and culture heroes who are thought to be able to control the forces of nature and the affairs of man. And like many other Benue figures the sex is often indistinguishable.

H: 61,5 cm
H: 24.2 inch

Provenance
A. De Jong, The Netherlands

Price: 1500 - 3000 €

242 Female puppet

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Ogoni

wood, kaolin, black paint, hinged jaw, coiffure in two lobes, funnel-shaped headgear, rep. (plait), min. dam., minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on base; the Ogoni borrowed the art of puppetry from the Ibibio and adapted it to fit preexisting patterns of social criticism. This puppet probably depicts a young girl going through the initiation process. During this period adolescent females are spoilt and fed abundantly to enhance their appearance and assure their health and fertility.

H: 82 cm
H: 32.3 inch

Provenance
Manfred Schäfer, Ulm, Germany

Literature
David, Jean, Ogoni, Zürich 2002, p. 64

Sold.

243 Antelope mask "karikpo"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Ogoni

wood, greyish brown patina in a thick layer, partly encrusted, well-balanced form, remains of plant fibre, slightly dam., missing part: the rim with drilled holes partly missing, crack; antelope face masks "karikpo" are used at the beginning of the farming season in ceremonies honoring the local founding ancestor. The mask is worn by a dancer who incorporates racing and graceful acrobatics into his performance and is accompanied by a dancer wearing an "ugly" mask who behaves in a wild and erratic fashion.

H: 23 cm, coll. in situ, 1975 - 1982
H: 9.1 inch, coll. in situ, 1975 - 1982

Sold.

244 Ritual implement

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Tiv

heavy wood, brown patina with traces of black paint, entirely coated with white dots, glass eyes with painted pupils, a hole on top of the head for insertion of magical substances, slightly dam., paint rubbed off (back of the head).

H: 24,5 cm
H: 9.6 inch

Provenance
Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany

Sold.

245 Figural dance crest

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Urhobo

wood, fez-shaped calotte with support strap of plant fibre, crowned by a blackened janus figure in stylized forms, slightly dam., fine cracks, traces of insect caused damage, metal base; the Urhobo are an ethnic group in the western part of the Niger Delta in Nigeria, bordering on the Isoko in the west, on the Igbo in the east and on the Bini in the northwest.

H: 53,5 cm; D: 22 cm
H: 21.1 inch; D: 8.7 inch

Provenance
Coll. Thor Westerberg, Sweden

Sold.

246 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Urhobo

light brown wood, partly encrusted patina, black paint, kaolin, tribe-typical facial features and scarification marks, crowned by curved horns, pierced around the rim, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, minor missing parts, on metal base; this mask type is used in ceremonies honoring the water spirit "ohworhu", common to the southern Urhobo communities. Once in a decade the people of Evwreni celebrate "ohworhu". On two days of masquerade dancing and during preliminary rites spaced throughout the previous months, they honor the spirits responsible for the well-being of the community. Works of art in wood and palm raffia come to express deep-seated beliefs in water-and-forest-based spiritual forces.

H: 42 cm
H: 16.5 inch

Literature
Foss, Perkins (ed.), Where Gods and Mortals Meet, New York 2004, p. 19, cat. 5

Price: 1400 - 2500 €

247 Face mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

light-weighted wood, black patina, small remains of indigo blue pigment, the rising forehead adorned with linear incised ornaments, wisdom knot motif at the temples, eyes and incised scarification marks accentuated with kaolin, a short snout-like mouth underneath a bulky nose, remains of cord material in the drilled holes around the rim, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose, eye lids, backside on the rim), paint rubbed off, cracks, on metal base

H: 29,5 cm
H: 11.6 inch

Provenance
A. De Jong, The Netherlands

Literature
Weinhold, Ulrike,The Eternal Face, Berg en Dal 2000, ill. 156

Price: 1200 - 2500 €

248 Janiform headdress "egungun"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

heavy wood, brown patina, remains of black, indigo blue and white pigment, nearly identical formed janus heads with large bulging eyes and incised scarification marks, bow-shaped projections in shape of arms, metal clamp with blade shaped stone (?), drilled holes, slightly dam., missing parts (animal on top), rep. (bow-shaped projections, partly fixed with nails), paint rubbed off

H: 33 cm
H: 13 inch

Provenance
Adalbert von Alföldy, Eislingen, Germany

Price: 500 - 1000 €

249 Dance crest with equestrian figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, polychrome paint, extremely darkened, helmet-shaped cranium, coated with incised geometrical decor, the figure on top carved fully plastic, holding the reigns and a knive, remains of cord and fabric at the lower rim, rep. (with clay-like mass)

H: 29 cm, coll. in situ, 1963 - 1973
H: 11.4 inch, coll. in situ, 1963 - 1973

Price: 600 - 1000 €

250 Dance crest "egungun"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, blackish brown patina, remains of indigo blue paint and kaolin, half-spherical vaulted base, upholstered with a thick bulge of cotton bands, crowned by a standing leopard, surrounded by four human heads each rising from a long neck, slightly dam., cracks; the ancestors are worshipped during a ceremony lasting for several weeks, which takes place every one or two years. The "egungun" masks appearing during these ceremonies belong to different families and represent their ancestors.

H: 42 cm; D: 38 cm, coll. in situ, 1975 - 1982
H: 16.5 inch; D: 15 inch, coll. in situ, 1975 - 1982

Literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Erde und Erz, München 1997, p. 268

Price: 600 - 1200 €