Online catalogue for the 67th tribal art auction

281 Standing ancestor figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Mumuye

light brown wood, matt dark brown patina, surmounted by a small head with high-crested coiffure and large ears (Mumuye-women used to wear big wooden plugs in the ears), min. dam., rep. (left leg), cracks, missing parts through insect caused damage, on base; Mumuye figures are all very different but at the same time immediately recognizable. This high degree of stylistic diversity is paralleled by the variety of functions of Mumuye figures: some were used as oracles, others in connection with healing, and still others reinforced the status of important elders as embodiments of vaguely conceived tutelary spirits.

H: 72 cm
H: 28.3 inch

Provenance
Helmut Zake, Heidelberg, Germany

Literature
Eisenhofer, Stefan, Hahner-Herzog, Iris u.a., Mein Afrika - Die Sammlung Fritz Koenig, München, London, New York 2000, p. 98 ff.

Price: 3500 - 6000 €

282 House post

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Nupe

wood, encrusted brown patina, lower part showing almond-shaped piercing, upper part consisting of conical and disc-shaped elements, min. dam., minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on metal plate; the Nupe are a large ethnic group in the northwestern Nigeria comprising some 900,000 people living around their capital Bida. They have a strong tradition of craftmanship especially in pottery, weaving and glass blowing.

H: 116,5 cm
H: 45.9 inch

Sold.

283 Mask with hinged jaw "elu"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Ogoni

wood, slightly encrusted dark brown patina, paint remains, tribe-typical facial feature with "snub nose", full lips and scarification marks, crowned by a hat-like headgear, pierced around the rim, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion

H: 17 cm
H: 6.7 inch

Provenance
Manfred Schäfer, Ulm, Germany

Literature
David, Jean, Ogoni, Zürich 2002, p. 54

Sold.

284 Mask with hinged jaw "elu"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Ogoni

wood, slightly encrusted dark brown patina, black paint, tribe-typical facial features, crowned by a seated figure with a drum, min. dam., traces of insect caused damage and abrasion; "elu" masks are worn by young men of the "ogoni" secret society. They were attached to a cone-shaped fibre and cloth cap. The corresponding costumes varied. The small caricatures represent different characters. In a funny or tragic way they illustrate oral traditions in stories and songs.

H: 42 cm
H: 16.5 inch

Provenance
Gallery Inge Hett, Berlin, Germany
Klinkmöller, Berlin, Germany

Literature
David, Jean, Ogoni, Zürich 2002, p. 34

Sold.

285 Standing female figure

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Nigeria, Tiv

wood, reddish brown patina, rising from a post-like base, incised scarification marks on body and face, slightly dam., crack, insect caused damage backside, on pedestal; most female figures, called "atsuku", are used in hunting rites and in connection with circumcision. Evidently there is also a symbolic relationship to manhood and virility. Possibly it is in that context that female figures are placed next to the door of an intended bride.

H: 45 cm
H: 17.7 inch

Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 96

Price: 800 - 1600 €

286 Standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Tiv

wood, blackish brown patina, strictly upright, stiff posture, a well-modelled face with beautiful nose and unusual hollowed eyes with remains of mass inside, small opening on the head as well as sacrificial traces, on base; with a population of about one million people, the Tiv represent the most important ethnical group within northeast nigeria. They do not have any masks, but figures which are called "ihambe" and which have not been made since the beginning of the century and which differentiate in two different styles "the post style" and "the realistic style". This figure belongs to the latter.

H: 63 cm
H: 24.8 inch

Provenance
Michel Gaud, Saint Tropez, France

Literature
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 366

Sold.

287 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Urhobo

wood, encrusted patina, remains of polychrome paint, of elongated oval form, tribe-typical form with vertical scarification marks, cheeks decorated with inserted wooden plugs, crowned by a high-tapering coiffure with two separately worked birds, rep., min. dam., minor missing parts, traces of abrasion; the Urhobo have close ties to riverine life, and produce elaborate spectacles of dance, music, and song in homage to the spirits of the waters. Wearing masks of wood, cloth, or vegatable fiber, performers dance in honor of the spirit forces of the particular body of water that runs through their community. Water spirits are believed to reside in the water and to be helpful to the well-being of a community.

H: 56,5 cm
H: 22.2 inch

Literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, p. 46

Sold.

288 Post figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Wurkun

wood, reddish paint, schematized forms, abstract facial features, min. dam., cracks, missing parts through insect caused damage, on base; the Wurkun are well-known for their pairs of male-female figures on iron spikes. Their function is to ensure the well-being of the owner and his family, with a special orientation towards the fertility of the crops. In most cases they were set up in the fields outside the teepee-like structure made of a grass mat, with a large pot for sacrifices nearby. Others were established on shrines within the owner's compound like the Chambas "tauwa" figures and, like them, were used for curing illness by divination.

H: 44,5 cm
H: 17.5 inch

Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 88 f.

Price: 3000 - 5000 €

289 Female twin figure "ere ibeji"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, reddish brown patina, camwood powder, indigo blue pigment, 2 strings of glass beads, drilled pupils (nail heads missing), disc-shaped coiffure, carved with an amulet, slightly dam., crack (left side of the head)

H: 29 cm
H: 11.4 inch

Sold.

290 Female twin figure "ere ibeji"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba, Oyo

wood, reddish brown patina with traces of black paint, indigo blue pigment at the coiffure, camwood powder "osun", strings with miniature glass beads, drilled pupils (nail heads missing), linear scarification marks, slightly dam., abrasion

H: 25 cm
H: 9.8 inch

Literature
Polo, Fausto, Enzyklopädie der Ibeji, o. J. 2008, ill. 406

Price: 600 - 1200 €