Online catalogue for the 66th tribal art auction

351 Big dance staff "oshe shango"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, partly encrusted blackish brown patina, in form of a kneeling female figure with both hands up to the broad double axe, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base; such dance staffs were used likewise by men and women during Shango celebrations. Their characteristic feature is the double axe symbol. Shango is associated with fertilizing rain, he is said to be truth-loving and should punish liars and thieves.

H: 63 cm
H: 24.8 inch

Provenance
A. de Jong, The Netherlands

Price: 2000 - 4000 €

352 Dance staff "oshe shango"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba, Area of Abeokuta

wood, middle brown patina, remains of kaolin and blue pigment, carved with a kneeling female figure, holding club and sacrificial chicken, crowned by a double axe, dam., fissures, traces of abrasion, on base

H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, France

Literature
Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 208, ill. III/2.4

Price: 650 - 1200 €

353 Pair of ritual staffs "edan oshugbo"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

copper alloy, fully plastic figures, male and female, mounted on iron poker, linked by a short chain, tube-like limbs, the ornaments to the left and right of the body probably derived from stylized birds, slightly dam., traces of corrosion; "edan" staffs were important ritual objects in "ogboni" society. They were worn around the neck as a symbol for membership. They protected their owners against diseases and played an important role during funeral celebrations.

H: 23 cm
H: 9.1 inch

Provenance
Jochen Winkler, Konstanz, Germany
Helmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany

Literature
Witte, Hans, A Closer Look, Berg en Dal 2004, ill. 87

Price: 1300 - 2500 €

354 Utensils of the "ifa" oracle

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

oracle board "opon ifa", elaborate decorated rim with the mask face of "eshu" in the centre, wood, remains of polychrome paint, m: 31,5 cm x 22 cm; tapper "iroke", carved with two pairs of janus heads, wood, blackish-brown patina, slightly dam.; diviners necklace "opele", halved seed vessels thread on a string of fabric and cord material; "ifa" oracle head, bone, h: 6 cm, minor missing part; with the tapper "iroke" the priest "babalawo" strikes the "ifa" board in order to get the attention of "orunmila", the deity to whom the demand for prophecy is directed to. The "opon ifa" is spread with flour. By throwing the diviners necklace on the board the "babalawo" generates the oracle from the lines drawn on the plate. The various utensils are kept in wooden boxes called "agere ifa".

Provenance
Prof. Georg Elwert, Berlin, Germany, collected in situ
- Ifa oracle board, collected in Dahomey (nowadays Republic of Benin), Allada, Ayizo (1968)
- Diviners necklace, collected in Dahomey, Allada, Ayizo (1968)
- Ifa tapper, collected in Dahomey, Abomey (1968)
- Ifa oracle head, collected in Ayou, Dahomey (1972)

Literature
Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 190

Price: 600 - 1200 €

355 Ifa oracle tapper

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, middle brown patina, carved with kneeling female figure, dam., missing parts, traces of insect caused damage, on base; tappers are made of wood, brass or ivory. They are used by the diviners to strike the Ifa tray with the pointed end in order to attract "orunmilas" attention at the beginning of the session. The broad end is often hollowed, forming a bell, with a small clapper inside, which is rattled during invocations.

H: 33 cm
H: 13 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Frankfurt a.M., Germany

Literature
Witte, Hans, Ifa and Esu, Soest-Holland 1984, p. 99, ill. 65

Price: 500 - 1000 €

356 Bracelet of "ogboni" society

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

bronze with patina, cast in relief with a male and a female figure, each with splayed mudfish "legs" alternating with highly stylized horsemen, plaited borders with sixteen bells, min. dam., missing parts (bells), slight traces of corrosion; worn by kings, priests and "oshogbo" officials, part of the burial offering for deceased. Nowadays they are sometimes displayed on family altars, serving as ring-shaped support for calabashs.

H: 13,5 cm
H: 5.3 inch

Provenance
Jochen Winkler, Konstanz, Germany
Helmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany
Christie's, Christie's London, Tribal Art, 1 December, 1982, lot 172

Published in
Marie-Louise Bastin, Introduction aux arts d' Afrique noire, Arnouville 1984, p. 190

Literature
Dobbelmann, Th.A.H.M., Der Ogboni-Geheimbund, Berg en Dal 1976, ill. 131

Sold.

357 Pair of kneeling figures "onile" for the Ogboni cult

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

bronze, the male holding a sword in the right and a pipe in the left hand, the female with her hands clasped in the Ogboni greeting, each with applied notched bands about the body and face, with banded headgear terminating in small-brimmed hat-like finials, on rectangular bases, min. dam.; "the brasses used by the "Ogboni" society (known at Ijebu-Ode, its place of origin, as "Oshugbo") fall into two main categories: exoteric objects, especially the "edan ogboni", which can be freely seen by everybody using the Ogboni house ("iledi") and on occasion, since they have also the function of messenger badges, by those outside it; and esoteric objects, which are always kept in the "ile awo", the arcanum or holy of holies, and may be seen only by the (usually) five senior Ogboni chiefs of the town. Of these latter, the commonest are pairs of kneeling figures, male and female, which correspond to the "edan" and are jointly described as "onile", rulers of the earth (the cult spirits of the Ogboni)..." (William Fagg). "The present pair, among the finest "onile" known, provides an excellent opportunity for scholars to study the "onile" in their complete form..." (William Fagg).

H: 27,5 cm und 28,5 cm
H: 10.8 inch und 11.2 inch

Provenance
Jochen Winkler, Konstanz, Germany
Helmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany
Christie's London, Tribal Art, 1 Dezember, 1982, lot 168

Sold.

358 Bell "omo" of the "ogboni" society

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

bronze, quadrangular, curved at the bottom, the front side with raised facial features, plaited band decor at the handle, complete with clapper, traces of corrosion

H: 17,5 cm
H: 6.9 inch

Provenance
Jochen Winkler, Konstanz, Germany
Helmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany

Sold.

359 Bell "omo"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

brass, dark patina, a conical corpus, decorated with a human face, elaborate decorations and facial scarification marks, a crown-like headgear, clapper missing, min. dam., slight traces of corrosion; such bells were used for ritual purposes, probably to get in contact with the ancestors.

H: 15,5 cm
H: 6.1 inch

Provenance
Ursula Voorhuis, Sint Agatha, The Netherlands

Literature
Witte, Hans, Earth and the Ancestors, Ogboni Iconography, Amsterdam 1988, p. 80, pl. 17

Sold.

360 Herbalists staff "opa osanyin"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

corroded metal, cowned by a stylized horseman, a standing female figure and a bird, surrounded by a circle of 16 smaller birds, attached to an iron ring, combined with the staff by radial arranged spokes, min. dam., traces of corrosion, on wooden base; the staff is planted in the ground at the entrance to an "osanyin" priests compound to ward off nocturnal attacks by witches. Many diseases and other misfortunes are caused by malevolent witches, and "osanyin" priests have to look for medicinal herbs in the bush, which is where the witches live. The herbalists are also protected by the power of "orunmila", who once went out into the bush himself to embank the witches power. He is represented by the big bird on top of the staff.

H: 64 cm
H: 25.2 inch

Provenance
Joseph Christiaens, Brussels, Belgium

Literature
Witte, Hans, A Closer Look, Berg en Dal 2004, p. 251 f.

Sold.