Online catalogue for the 67th tribal art auction

141 Mask "geh naw"

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Liberia, Bassa

wood, partly shiny dark brown patina, hollowed facial plane, the eye zone horizontal deepened, elaborate coiffure consisting of seven voluminous lobes, pierced around the rim, dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, on metal base; the mask type "geh-naw" belongs to a secret society called "chu-den-zo". It used to entertain the audience when the initiated boys returned from the bush camp or when distinguished guests came to visit the village. The dancer wore the mask on the forehead, looking through a gap within the cloth, veiling his head and the upper part of his body.

H: 20 cm
H: 7.9 inch

Provenance
Helmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany
Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany

Price: 2500 - 5000 €

142 Horned mask

This object is not available any more.

Liberia, Toma

heavy wood, blackish brown patina, flat oval facial plane, protruding forehead with grooved decor, four plug-like projections on the head, pierced around the rim, dam., minor missing parts, paint rubbed off, cracks; only few figures of the Toma are known but there is a variety of masks which are used during the "poro" men' s society ceremonies. They can be categorized into three main types, the male "landa", the female "nyangbai", and finally the "horned masks".

H: 39 cm
H: 15.4 inch

Provenance
David Cassera, New York, USA

Literature
Meneghini, Mario, Collecting African Art in Liberia and Neighboring Countries 1963 - 1989, o.O. 2006, ill. 22

Price: 3000 - 6000 €

143 Helmet mask "sowei"

This object is not available any more.

Sierra Leone, Mende

wood, shiny black patina, of high vaulted, the facial plane with scarification marks concentrated on a rather small area within the lower third, crowned by an elaborate coiffure, min. dam., on base

H: 41 cm
H: 16.1 inch

Provenance
Coll. Hinze, Jesteburg, Germany

Sold.

144 Helmet mask "sowei" of the "bundu" society

This object is not available any more.

Sierra Leone, Mende

wood, blackish brown patina, of cylindrical form, on both sides carved with homogeneous faces, especially characterized by a high arching forehead and projecting ears, coiffure with incised linear patterns and crest, sickle-shaped projections on either side, slightly dam., paint rubbed off, cracks, traces of insect caused damage, rep. (sickle tips); such helmet masks are commissioned and worn by women, although carved by men. They are associated with the education and socialization of young females, and their excision ceremonies are supervised by the "bundu" or "sande" societies. Senior woman wear these masks at the termination of initiation ceremonies in order to embody their patron spirit a persona of fecundity and grace, known as "sowei".

H: 40,5 cm
H: 15.9 inch

Provenance
Lore Kegel & Boris Kegel-Konietzko, Hamburg, Germany (coll. in situ 1958)

Literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 434 f.
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 70

Price: 2500 - 5000 €

145 Helmet mask "sowei" of the "bundu" society

This object is not available any more.

Sierra Leone, Mende

wood, blackish brown patina, of typical form: cylindrical with a compressed diamond-shaped face and voluminous neck rolls, silver metal sheet, slightly dam., rep. (knob-shaped projection); the neck rings, which are a significant characteristic of all "sowei" masks should not be regarded as representing obesity but of placing a plastic emphasis on the fine lines of the neck which are highly esteemed and regarded as being beautiful.

H: 35 cm
H: 13.8 inch

Provenance
Coll. Alfred Ries, Wiesbaden, Germany (former ambassador in Liberia)

Price: 800 - 1500 €

146 Male colon figure

This object is not available any more.

Sierra Leone, Mende

wood, black patina, compact body with round forms, on the one hand provided with european facial features and sun helmet, on the other hand wearing an amulet and showing a neck carved with rings, slightly dam., minor missing parts, crack; usually there are European pieces of dress and indifferent facial traits typical for the prevailing local style. A figure resembling a European because it is equipped with a sun helmet, a uniform, a tie, a wrist watch or similar items may just as well represent an African. Africans dressed in European style can be shown as early as the time of Louis XIV when the ambassador of the King of Ardra was received in the Tuileries.

H: 50,5 cm
H: 19.9 inch

Literature
Jahn, Jens (Hg.), Colon, München 1983, ill. 3

Price: 2000 - 4000 €

147 Female figural torso

This object is not available any more.

Sierra Leone, Mende

wood, blackish brown patina, cylindrical, with free carved arms and both hands up to the breasts, the long neck carved with four grooves, the actual facial plane concentrated on a rather small area: characterized by a T-shaped zone of brows and nose and by a short chin with the mouth situated below, elaborate coiffure with centre parting, provided with grooved ornamental decor and a crowning crest, scarification marks, dam., the surface shows traces of insect caused damage, missing parts (both arms, back), on block-like base; figures of this type belong to the "yassi" society and are used as protectors and healing agents. They are kept in a special area of the shrine with the medicine and, when needed to perform a cure, are placed in a bowl with a herb and clay mixture.

H: 51,5 cm, coll. in Monrovia (before 1975)
H: 20.3 inch, coll. in Monrovia (before 1975)

Provenance
Mario Meneghini, Comabbio, Italy (1975)
Johann Levy, Paris, France
Philippe Guimiot, Brussels, Belgium
Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium
Joaquin Pecci, Brussels, Belgium

Published in
Joaquin Pecci, Femina, A vision of the woman in the african and himalayan art, Brussels 2006, ill. 8

Literature
Meneghini, Mario, Collecting African Art in Liberia and Neighboring Countries 1963 - 1989, o.O. 2006, ill. 147
Hommel, William, Art of the Mende, University of Maryland 1974, ill. 50
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 436

Sold.

148 Half figure "iran otibago"

This object is not available any more.

Guinea-Bissau, Bidyogo

wood, dark brown patina, encrusted in some areas, a round base supporting a flat and armless upper part of the body with accentuated breasts, a long neck, carved with rings, crowned by a narrow head with protruding chin, metal tags forming the eyes, slightly dam., cracks, paint rubbed off, on plate; the Bidyogo are a small ethnic group living on the Bissago Islands offshore Guinea-Bissau. Everything sacred, bares the Creole name "iran", and causes awe and respect among the people. The big spirit as master of the earth is called upon before every agronomic project is started, as well as for all attempts concerning the community, like initiation, enthronement of a chief or funeral festivities.

H: 50 cm
H: 19.7 inch

Provenance
Gallery Pierre, Stockholm, Sweden (1972)
Carl Otto Hultén, Malmö, Sweden (member of the Cobra-Group)

Price: 20000 - 40000 €

149 Half figure "iran otibago"

This object is not available any more.

Guinea-Bissau, Bidyogo

wood, encrusted dark brown patina, a quadrangular armless body, nearly entirely coated with a gauze-like red fabric, which is spread with a dark brown mass, the front side, where the fabric is missing, shows sacrificial traces (eggshells), the neck carved with rings supporting a narrow beautiful modelled head, eyes with metal tag inlay, a cap of fabric and blackish mass with inserted feathers on top, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, paint rubbed off (nose), on plate; such massive sculptures with the look of busts resting on a base, serve as receptacles for the souls of the ancestors. They encorporate spiritual beings, called "iran". The highest spiritual being is the Big Spirit, called "iran grande". The "iran" have various forms and bare various names according to their destination and geographic surroundings. The human "iran" were depicted in a seated posture, they were called "iran otibago". "Iran" in creole means "object, loaded with sacred energy", "otibago" means as much as "civilized". The "iran otibago" are connected with terms like fertility, farming, nutrition and abundance.

H: 43 cm
H: 16.9 inch

Provenance
Robert Duperrier, Paris, France (1976)
South American Private Collection

Literature
The Harry Eiteljorg Collection, Indianapolis 1976, p. 58
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 81
Kerchache, Jacques, Paudrat, Jean-Louis u.a., Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, Basel, Wien 1988, p. 527 f.

Price: 25000 - 50000 €

150 Dance crest "tjiwara"

This object is not available any more.

Mali, Bamana

wood, blackish brown patina, "male" type with high towering horns, small head with Bamana typical features, a highly abstract, board-shaped flattened body with slit-like openings, linear incised ornaments, slightly dam., paint rubbed off, rep. (base), on block-like base; the "tjiwara" mask dancer wears a shaggy tunic, braided with long black fibre with cotton tassels and a cap of cotton or plant fibre weave. In most cases it is carved from wood of the "dondol" tree ("bombax cornui").

H: 93 cm
H: 36.6 inch

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

Sold.