Online catalogue for the 67th tribal art auction
346 Sitting female guardian figure "byeri"
This object is not available any more.
Gabon, Fang
wood, blackish brown patina, a concave vaulted and heart-shaped facial plane with a flat chin, metal sheet eyes, accentuated navel, slightly dam., cracks, on base; as for many peoples of the world the worshipping of the relics of the family´s illustrious dead is widespread in the whole Fang country. It could be an autonomous worship within a lineage, or a part of a larger set of rites like those of the secret societies for example. It is characterized by the conservation of the relics of the group´s notables, set aside after death in the graves (the skulls are kept above all, and often other bones for specific rites). Women are often elevated to the rank of ancestor of the "byeri", especially very prolific mothers. By keeping the relics people hoped to gain the favour of the mighty diceased. The statuettes were affixed on top of cylindrical coffers of stitched bark and were kept in the peoples houses. They should remind of the faded person and should prevent people who were not allowed, to have a look into such boxes. They presented a kind of protecting house spirit as well, they should keep away evil and bad spirits. At the moment of ritual, for example propitation or initiation, the skulls, bones and wooden statues were smeared with several different unguents with precise and secret symbolical functions.
H: 39 cm
H: 15.4 inch
Provenance
Coll. Gaston Durville, Boulogne-sur-Mer and Paris, France
Michel Gaud, Saint Tropez, France
Private Collection, Paris, France
Price: 35000 - 70000 €
347 Bird's head knife "musede"
Gabon, Kota
metal, wood, handle with conical pointed knob and small appendix, the blade showing a triangular pierced eye and punched decorations, min. dam., slight traces of usage and abrasion; according to Himmelheber the beautifully curved blade represents a horn raven.
H: 27,5 cm
H: 10.8 inch
Provenance
Coll. Dr. Karl-Heinz Kaufel, Hamburg, Germany
Literature
Fischer, Werner, Zirngibl, Manfred A., Afrikanische Waffen, Passau 1978, p. 185, ill. 341
Price: 600 - 1200 €
348 Helmet mask
This object is not available any more.
Gabon, Kota
light-coloured wood with small remains of dark brown patina, a concave vaulted heart-shaped facial plane, dyed with indigo blue and red pigment, linear incised tattoos, crowned by cross-shaped arranged crests, drilled holes around the lower rim, on metal base; such masks were called "emboli" or "mbuto". In Kota villages they were worn at masquerades on occasion of circumcision rites for young boys. The masks also appear at rituals for warding off evil spirits or for psychological purposes.
H: 46 cm
H: 18.1 inch
Provenance
Coll. Iwanovski, Nancy, France
Literature
Phillips, Tom (Hg.), Afrika, Die Kunst eines Kontinents, Berlin 1996, p. 316
Price: 3500 - 5000 €
349 Reliquary guardian figure "mbulu" or "mwete"
This object is not available any more.
Gabon, Kota
wood, brass and copper sheet, metal clamps and nails, of typical form: an oval hollowed face with side projections and sickle-shaped coiffure, on diamond-shaped handle, slightly dam., on base; the Kota used to fix these stylized head sculptures on top of boxes containing the skulls and bones of important ancestors. They should protect the valuable contents. Housed on a shelf outside the village, the figure was carefully polished with sand to maintain it´s shining surface which should keep sorcerers away.
H: 48 cm
H: 18.9 inch
Provenance
Private American Collection
Michael Sorafine, Los Angeles, USA
Literature
Perrois, Louis, Art ancestral du Gabon dans les collections du Musée Barbier-Mueller, Genf o.J., p. 76
Perrois, Louis, Arts du Gabon, Paris 1979, ill. 193
Price: 6000 - 12000 €
350 Standing female figure
This object is not available any more.
Gabon, Lumbo
wood, blackish brown patina, with prominent navel, the slender body with closed contour, a columnar neck supporting a narrow head with slanting face halves, characterized by a pointed chin and sharp-edged arching brows, grooved coiffure, narrow slit eyes with brass sheet plating (missing on the right), rep. (both foot tips), on plate; the rainforest people of Shira, Punu and Lumbo were forced by the Fang to settle in the south and south-west of Gabon. Thus they became part of the forty ethnies of Gabon which are closely related to each other in many ways.
H: 43,5 cm
H: 17.1 inch
Provenance
Hans Himmelheber, Heidelberg, Germany (1932)
Literature
Kerchache, Jacques, Paudrat, Jean-Louis u.a., Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, Basel, Wien 1988, p. 574
Price: 8000 - 12000 €
351 Female power figure
This object is not available any more.
Gabon, Lumbo
wood, encrusted reddish surface overall with areas of black pigment, metal rings, abdomen with resinous magic bundle at the center, framed by bent arms and pendant breasts, the large eyes inset with glass beneath a uniform brow, wearing a crested, helmet-like coiffure, slightly dam., cracks, mounted on pedestal; the Lumbo used to use small statuettes in rites, that certain missionaries described as "fetishist". This sculptural art included statuettes of the "nkoshi" type, like the present object. The sculpture had a divinatory function or acted to protect lineage-related relics. These were ritual tools that the "nganga"(diviner/healer) used to impress his public. The spirit invoked was supposed to have taken residence, as it were, in the sulpture. During rites related to sorcerer hunts, once a guilty individual had been designated, the "nganga" would oblige him either to swear his innocence or admit his guilt in front of the statuette. If the suspect claimed innocence, he was then obliged to submit to an ordeal of test-by poison. Furtheron there is evidence of rapport between femaleness and magic in South Gabon. Those who heal and assist the "nganga" are mostly women. If the magician does not have the blood of victims specially sacrificed for the rite at his disposal, he may use menstrual blood or blood obtained from a recent birth.
H: 28 cm
H: 11 inch
Provenance
Reynold C. Kerr, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1977)
William Brill, New York, USA
Sotheby's New York, The William W. Brill Collection of African Art, November 17, 2006, lot 92
Yann Ferrandin, Paris, France
Published in
Ferrandin, Yann, Kongo, Art magique, Belgien 2009, ill. 41,
Literature
Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, p. 275
Price: 25000 - 50000 €
352 Paddle
This object is not available any more.
Gabon, Lumbo
light wood, matt patina, with a shaft cirular in cross section, crowned by a human head, min. dam., traces of usage
L: 81,5 cm
L: 32.1 inch
Price: 500 - 1000 €
353 Mask "okuyi"
Gabon, Punu
wood, kaolin, black pigment, coiffure in three lobes, reduced scarifications, clear traces of the carving tool backside, slightly dam., minor missing parts (coiffure), abrasion; variation of the so-called "White Masks of the Ogowe". "Okuyi"-masks were used at funeral ceremonies, at which they represented male and female ancestors. The dancers used to wear raffia costumes, while moving on high stilts and frightening the audience with wild screams. Nowadays this mask type mostly appears for entertainment within the scope of festivities.
H: 28,5 cm
H: 11.2 inch
Provenance
Lore Kegel, Hamburg, Germany
Price: 1800 - 3500 €
354 Mask "okuyi"
Gabon, Punu
wood, the facial plane whitened with kaolin, black and red paint, tribe-typical facial features with small slit eyes and cheek scarifications, crowned by a multi-lobed coiffure, min. dam., minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion
H: 28,5 cm
H: 11.2 inch
Provenance
Lore Kegel, Hamburg, Germany
Coll. Dr. Karl-Heinz Kaufel, Hamburg, Germany
Price: 1000 - 2000 €
355 Female figure
This object is not available any more.
Gabon, Punu
light wood, pigments, kaolin, without feet rising from a round base, a strong, columnar neck supporting an oval head with two-lobed coiffure, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion and insect caused damage, on wooden base; figures of the the Punu are rare to be found. Punu masks with analogue faces were worn by mask dancers on high stilts. They are said to represent the spirits of beautiful young maiden who recurred from the dead to take part in the village life. Similar fully plastic statuettes of young women were attached to pouches containing human relics. The white paint not only refers to the deceased, but to methods for warding off witches as well. Sorceres were believed to be most active and effective by night and the colour white suggests brightness and lucidity, both contrary to the night and to secrets. In Gabun and the bigger part of Central Africa clairvoyants encircle their eyes with white clay, which should enable them to reveal witchcraft.
H: 41 cm
H: 16.1 inch
Provenance
Old German Colonial Collection
Price: 4000 - 5000 €
 |
346-355 of 505 |  |
