Online catalogue for the 68th tribal art auction

101 Sitting female bowl bearer

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, reddish brown patina, black and green paint, elongated forearms supporting a half-spherical bowl on the head, slightly dam., minor missing parts, paint rubbed off; figures of female bowl bearers can be found on many shrines of the Yoruba. Possibly used for keeping the 16 palm nuts needed for the Ifa oracle.

H: 29 cm
H: 11.4 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Sold.

102 Kneeling bowl bearer "olomeye"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, carved with belt and armrings, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion; figures of a kneeling woman offering a bowl can be seen on many Yoruba shrines. It is unlikely that the figure had a male companion, as it is often the case for female figures of "eshu". For this reason it probably represents a female worshipper and not the trickster-god "eshu" himself in female form.

H: 29 cm
H: 11.4 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Sold.

103 Oracle bowl "agere ifa"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, brown patina, remains of pigments, a round base, carved with a bird, supporting a round bowl, incised ornaments, rep. (base), slight traces of abrasion

H: 14,5 cm
H: 5.7 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Sold.

104 Oracle bowl "agere ifa"

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, slightly encrusted brown patina, paint remains, round base, carved with a kneeling female figure, min. dam., minor missing parts, fissures; the divination bowls serve for keeping the 16 holy palm nuts ("ikin"), which are used for the questioning of the oracle. During the prophecy, the "babalawo" (priest) spreads the "opon ifa" with flour, throws the palm nuts on the board and generates the oracle from the lines drawn on the plate. The "ifa" oracle is used in whole Yoruba country and similar soothsaying systems are known all over West Africa.

H: 19 cm
H: 7.5 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Sold.

105 Still life where an african object of his collection is depicted

This object is not available any more.

Emil Maetzel

mixing technique in oil, painted on wood, signed at the bottom on the left "EM21", in black wooden frame with broad rim; artistically Emil Maetzel was primarily influenced by the expressionistic artists of the "Brücke" group. He collected african sculpture and adopted forms and colours in his primitive paintings. He developed an expressionistic style of his own; additional: oracle bowl "agere ifa", wood, middle brown patina, a female figure kneeling on a disc-shaped base, supporting a flat plate-like receptacle on the head, slightly dam., missing parts, cracks; H: 17cm, D: 15 cm

M: 53 cm x 63 cm (inside) M: 70,5 x 79 cm (with frame), 1921
M: 20.9 inch x 24.8 inch (inside) M: 70,5 x 31.1 inch (with frame), 1921

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Exposed in
Hamburger Museum für Kunst- und Gewerbe

Sold.

106 Prestige stool

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Yoruba

wood, dark brown patina, black, red and white paint, disc-shaped base and seat, middle strut in shape of a standing female figure, surrounded by 20 figures, arranged in two rows on top of each other, mainly female, in varying postures, holding diverse objects in their hands, painted with changeful ornaments, slightly dam., traces of insect caused damage, cracks, rep. (seat); a stool is always a symbol of higher social rank and expresses the power "ase" and the character "iwa" of its owner. The figural arrangements show scenes of the principals life.

H: 63,5 cm; D: 41,5 cm
H: 25 inch; D: 16.3 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Literature
Drewal, Henry John, Pemberton, John, Yoruba, New York 1989, p. 29

Sold.

107 Stool

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields

wood, partly shiny, brown patina, with circular seat and base, supported by two stylized leopards, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion; in the Cameroon Grassfields stools are important chief regalias. The open worked base is typical for this region. The leopard embodies certain attributes like quickness, survivability and aggressiveness which were transferred on the king. So he became the most important royal symbol, like an "alter ego" of the king.

H: 29 cm; D: 27,5 cm
H: 11.4 inch; D: 10.8 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Literature
Fischer, Werner, Kamerun und seine Kunst, Düsseldorf 1988, p. 90

Sold.

108 Two tobacco pipes

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields

terracotta, polychrome paint, each decorated with a human figure, dam., missing parts, traces of abrasion; even tobacco pipes inspired Emil Maetzel for a painting "still life with three tobacco pipes", where one of the present pipes is depicted.

H: 10,5 cm resp. 14,5 cm
H: 4.1 inch resp. 5.7 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Sold.

109 Bowl

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields

wood, brown patina, a ring-shaped base, carved with two rows of zoomorphic heads (jackals?) supporting the decorated bowl, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion

H: 32,5 cm
H: 12.8 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Sold.

110 Stool

This object is not available any more.

Cameroon Grassfields, Babanki

wood, brown patina, remains of paint, a ring-shaped base, carved with four standing human figures, dam., cracks, traces of abrasion

H: 28,5 cm
H: 11.2 inch

Provenance
Emil Maetzel, Hamburg, Germany

Literature
Bocola, Sandro (Hg.), Afrikanische Sitze, München, New York 1994, ill. 65

Sold.