Online catalogue for the 67th tribal art auction

221 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Ngere

wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, animal hair, plant fibre, fabric, protruding eyes flanking a broad nose, an open mouth with a moustache, metal teeth and a tongue coated with red fabric, a beard made from plaited plant fibres, collection number at the back "Gouere No 19", pierced around the rim, min. dam., traces of abrasion

H: 23 cm
H: 9.1 inch

Provenance
Coll. Kröner, Gerlingen, Germany

Literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 297

Price: 500 - 1000 €

222 Ceremonial headdress "kwonro"

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo

wood, greyish brown patina, min. remains of black paint and kaolin, a board-shaped crest with the stylized silhouette of a monitor lizard in openwork design in the centre, two tufts of feathers on top, rising from a wickerwork base, slightly dam., paint rubbed off; the "kwonro" ceremonial headdress is a type which was worn by Nafana initiates, who were lavishly decorated with white cowrie shell ornaments, in a public dance that celebrates to the community the completion of "kwonro" and the second grade of "poro". The flat openwork board would originally have been covered with ritual white paint in the checkerboard patterns. The openwork figure or ideogram in the centre is one of the most common images in Senufo graphic arts, that of the "ndeo" or nature spirit. These crests are rare, only few of them are preserved.

M: 76 cm x 57 cm (board), H: 87,5 cm
M: 29.9 inch x 22.4 inch (board), H: 34.4 inch

Literature
Förster, Till, Die Kunst der Senufo aus Schweizer Sammlungen, Zürich 1988, p. 17 f.
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 50
Barbier, Jean Paul (ed.), Art of Côte d' Ivoire, Vol II, Genf 1993, cat. 11

Price: 5000 - 10000 €

223 Dance crest "dagu"

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo

wood, slightly encrusted greyish brown patina, helmet-shaped, surmounted by a stylized ox with broad horns, rep. (right horn), cracks, slight traces of abrasion; used for ceremonies preparing young men for the actual initiation, the membership of the "poro" society. The dancers wore abundant costumes: long trousers, various capes, long strings with affixed brass bells, while the crest itself was ornated with cowrie snails, feathers and a long band of fabric at the back. The horns symbolize cattle, which makes sense, because the young men who have passed "zeu" were looked upon as "nescient" and therefore "scary oxes".

H: 62 cm
H: 24.4 inch

Provenance
Karl-Heinz Krieg, Neuenkirchen, Germany (1970)
Ralf Lüders, Stuttgart, Germany

Literature
Guenneguez, André et Afo, Art de la Cote-d'Ivoire et de ses voisins, Paris o.J., p. 107

Sold.

224 Mask "korobla"

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo

wood, blackish brown patina, composed of different animals: crocodile's snout, tusks of a warthog, buffalo horns, crowned by a small vessel and a chamaeleon, rep. (horns), slight traces of insect caused damage and abrasion; appearing at funeral services and above all by night when the witches use to roam the village to look for new victims. The "korobla" shall ambush them, because the Senufo belief her to be stronger than any witch. She is extraordinary fast and in former times she was known for her ability to spit "fire". She utters long screams and as soon as she makes out a witch, she mightily chases her away.

L: 90 cm
L: 35.4 inch

Provenance
Sotheby Parke Bernet, November 8th, 1972, lot 85
American Private Collection, North Carolina
Sotheby Parke Bernet, October 14th and 15th, 1977, lot 512
Coll. Lorne Balshine, Vancouver BC, Canada

Literature
Förster, Till, Die Kunst der Senufo aus Schweizer Sammlungen, Zürich 1988, p. 57, ill. 37

Sold.

225 Ladle

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo

wood, black patina, of unusual form: an egg-shaped hollowed ladle with a small rectangular opening with closure, the handle carved with a standing female figure, slightly dam., paint rubbed off

L: 71 cm
L: 28 inch

Provenance
Lore Kegel, Hamburg, Germany
Coll. Dr. Karl-Heinz Kaufel, Hamburg, Germany

Price: 300 - 600 €

226 Figural carved staff "tefalapica"

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo

wood, shiny, blackish brown patina, round staff, tapering to the end, a sickle-shaped projection on top, surmounted by a standing female figure, with both hands resting aside the bulging belly, incised tattoos on body and face, min. dam., minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, fissures, on base; "tefalapica" means "the girl of the man working with the hoe" and presents the trophy money in a kind of hoeing competition. In September and October the young men of the Senufo have to cultivate the new yams fields, an exhausting field work, organized as a kind of competition.

H: 63,5 cm
H: 25 inch

Provenance
Jan Lundberg, Malmö, Sweden

Literature
Förster, Till, Die Kunst der Senufo aus Schweizer Sammlungen, Zürich 1988, p. 19

Price: 6000 - 12000 €

227 Singer mask

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Wobe

wood, dark brown patina, traces of red, white and indigo blue pigment, grass fibre beard and brass bells attached in the chin area, a strip of fur at the same place, tube of fabric sewn with nassa snails around the forehead, metal teeth, nails, incised tattoos on the cheeks, slightly dam.; through the use of metal additions like bells, or aluminium teeth in the upper lip, a mask beomes more powerful and efficient. The shiny effect of the metal and even the sound of the bells carry meaning. Both qualities make the dance more impressive and get the attention of not only the spectators but also the ancestors.

H: 24 cm
H: 9.4 inch

Provenance
French Private Collection

Literature
Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, ill. 48

Price: 5000 - 10000 €

228 Face mask of the "je" group "lomane"

This object is not available any more.

Côte d'Ivoire, Yaure

wood, matt patina, remains of polychrome paint, an oval hollowed face, framed by a zigzag-beard, surmounted by a bird, its long beak reaching down to the forehead, pierced around the rim, rep. (bird), min. dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, slight traces of abrasion, on metal base; present mask type with the depiction of a hornbill is called "lomane", which is a derivation of the word "anoman", which means "bird" in the Baule language. Masks with two bird sculptures on top were considered as part of the "lo"-ensemble, which appears at funerals of wise men, after the "je" masks. "Lomane" used to dance around the body of the deceased, bending over the dead body and touching it. According to the assertion that the mask destroys the worms, decomposing the body, this act could be interpreted as a kind of symbolic purification.

H: 31 cm
H: 12.2 inch

Provenance
René David, Zurich, Switzerland

Literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, p. 39

Sold.

229 Two figures

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Ghana

wood, a fertility doll of the Fante with conical armless trunk, a columnar neck carved with rings, crowned by an elongated, flat face with schematized facial features, incised geometrical ornaments backside, collection number "1044" on the back, h: 32 cm; additionally a standing female figure of the Agni, wearing strings of glass beads around the ankle and the hips, collection number "1046" on the bottom, h: 25,5 cm; both min. dam., showing slight traces of abrasion

Price: 400 - 800 €

230 Doll

This object is not available any more.

Ghana, Abron

wood, shiny brown patina, black paint, carved with sandals, wearing a string of glass beads around the hips and the neck carved with rings, an overproportional big head with slanting eyes and cheeks scarifications, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion; the Abron belong to the ethnic group of the Akan inhabiting the greater part of southern Ghana and parts of central Ivory Coast. In woodcarvings the geographical locations of the Baule in the west and the Ashanti in the east can easily be seen: the result is an interesting and sometimes qualitatively significant mixture of styles.

H: 35,5 cm
H: 14 inch

Provenance
English Private Collection

Literature
Cole, Herbert M., Ross, Doran H.,The Arts of Ghana, Los Angeles 1977, p. 112, ill. 228

Price: 3000 - 6000 €