Online catalogue for the 67th tribal art auction

241 Magical figure "bochio"

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

wood, slightly encrusted matt patina, carved from a post-shaped piece of wood, a high base surmounted by a standing female figure with angled arms, wearing a necklace of black glass beads with cowrie snails attached to it, lower part dyed red, the upper one greyish brown, min. dam., cracks, traces of weathering; "bochio" figures were placed on village squares or in front of individual houses. They were guardian figures and should keep away evil spirits.

H: 126 cm
H: 49.6 inch

Provenance
collected in situ 1930-35

Literature
Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten Marl (Hg.), Skulpturen und Objekte aus der Region des Königreiches Dahomey, Marl 2008, p. 22

Sold.

242 Post figure "bocchio"

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Benin, Fon

wood, abstract form, neck and head marked by grooves, traces of insect caused damage and weathering on the surface, mounted on metal plate

H: 81,5 cm
H: 32.1 inch

Price: 400 - 800 €

243 Figural depictions

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

brass, wood, standing female figure with loincloth, h: 12 cm, traces of corrosion; figure of a drummer, h: 6,5 cm, wooden drum and drum stick; group of two figures: a dignitary sitting in a boat and the standing ferryman, h: 11,5 cm, wooden boat and paddle, each of them on wooden pedestal

Price: 400 - 800 €

244 Top of an "asen" altar

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

corroded iron, circular base, crowned by a standing person, encircled by a fence with separate worked door, min. dam., minor missing parts, on wooden base, acrylic display; "asen" staffs are memorial objects, depicting the deceased as dignitary surrounded by certain symbols which were important for his personality.

H: 16,5 cm
H: 6.5 inch

Sold.

245 Two female shrine figures

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Anago

wood, polychrome paint, darkened, each rising from high pedestals, one of them with a cock as caryatid figure, both with broad shoulders and long conical-shaped skirts with a triangular cloth underneath the breasts, both holding an staff "oshe shango" and provided with tribe-typical features and scarification marks, the larger figure slightly dam., rep. (base, left shoulder and nose tip), the smaller figure with missing parts (left forearm) , traces of insect caused damage

H: 87 cm resp. 68,5 cm
H: 34.3 inch resp. 27 inch

Provenance
collected 1930 -35

Literature
Thompson, Robert Farris, Black Gods and Kings, Los Angeles 1971, CH 3/6

Price: 900 - 1800 €

246 Altar tusk of a royal ancestral altar "aru erha"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Benin

ivory, whitened, natural grains, traces of dark paint in the deepenings, carved in relief with figural motifs and plaited ornaments, arranged in horizontal rows, carved over the entire surface, slightly dam., on block-like base; in the course of the British punitive expedition in 1897 a part of the palace was destroyed by fire. After 17 years the monarchy was restituted in 1914 with the new Oba "Ewaka II". Present altar tusk presumably from the time of his reign, carved between 1923 and 1927 (according to correspondence Barbara Blackmun). The altar tusks are carved with figures of kings, queen mothers, warriors, priests, palace officials, foreigners, and other motifs that "serve as historical reminders, reassert the legitimate authority and divinity of the king, and reveal the numinous sources from which his powers derive." The tusks symbolize attributes of the elephant, such as physical power, leadership, wisdom and longevity, all of which are appropriate for the Oba. Because of their hardness, the tusks are considered to be a suitably permanent material on which to carve motifs meant to enlighten future generations. Ivory's colour is also important, its whiteness being reminiscent of the color of chalk "orhue", a symbol of ritual purity that is associated with "olokun", the "edo" god of the sea. The altar tusks were washed and bleached with citrus juice to remove the remains of sacrifices and to keep them as white as possible.

L: 76 cm
L: 29.9 inch

Provenance
Schatzkammer Hamburg (1959)

Literature
Plankensteiner, Barbara (Hg.), Benin, Könige und Rituale, Wien 2007, p. 131& ill. 2
Ezra, Kate, Royal Art of Benin, New York 1992, p. 51 f.

Price: 8000 - 15000 €

247 Three bells "omo" of the "ogboni" society

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Benin

cast brass with iron clapper, graduated in height, four-sided with loop-shaped handle, the corpus coated with incised ornaments, various emblems on the front, small traces of corrosion; bells were important in Benin. Large ones were placed on ancestral altars where they were rung to draw attention to offerings. Alternatively they would be worn around the necks of warriors or around the necks of their horses. Small bells might be affixed to masks, anklets, containers and pieces of costume, and their jingling was a mark of status.

H: 7 - 11 cm
H: 7 - 4.3 inch

Provenance
American Private Collection

Literature
Barley, Nigel, The Art of Benin, London 2010, p. 65

Sold.

248 Anthripomorphic dance crest

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Boki

wood, nearly entirely coated with leather, hollow, expressive facial features with open mouth, real hair coiffure, three horn-shaped protrudings, ring-shaped wickerwork base, min. dam., cracks, traces of insect caused damage, on wooden base

H: 43,5 cm
H: 17.1 inch

Sold.

249 Dance crest in shape of an anthropomorphic head

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Boki

wood, nearly entirely coated with leather, fixed by metal tags, coiffure and moustache of human hair, expressive facial features: the mouth wide open and the tongue stuck out, slightly dam., missing parts (wooden core and leather coating), paint rubbed off; the Boki are a Bantoid group living on both sides of the Cameroon border in the upper Cross River region. Alike the neighbouring Ekoi, Ejagham and other Cross River people the Boki cultivated the tradition of headhunting. Their dance crests are usually not coated with leather but show expressive facial features.

H: 27,5 cm
H: 10.8 inch

Provenance
Van Bronkeren, Ghent, Belgium

Price: 1000 - 2000 €

250 Standing figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Chamba

wood, greyish brown patina, encrusted in some areas, cylindrical body with the typical wide-spread diamond-arm convention, asymmetrical shoulders, the head merging into a funnel-shaped headdress, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, drop-shaped sacrificial traces, on pedestal; in the 17th century the Chamba settled south of the Benue nearby the Jukun. Statuettes of the Chamba are quite rare. The staff-like "tauwa" protective figures can be found more frequently. Present figure represents an ancestor.

H: 54 cm
H: 21.3 inch

Provenance
Gapereaux, Toulouse, France

Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 95

Sold.