Online catalogue for the 68th tribal art auction
211 Standing male figure
D. R. Congo, Dengese
wood, partly shiny brown patina, a string of red glass beads around the neck, min. dam., missing parts (foot tips), cracks, on wooden base; presumably an ancestral female figure, like the Ndengese used to place on the tombs of "etotoshi" members. "Etotoshi" is the highest level of the "ikoho" society, linking important Ndengese citizens, giving them great power.
H: 34 cm
H: 13.4 inch
Provenance
Émile-Francois Chambon, Geneva, Switzerland (1994)
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 29
Price: 1500 - 3000 €
212 Standing male ancestor figure "singiti"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Hemba
wood, partly shiny brown patina, holding a lance and a sickle in his hands, dam., missing parts through insect caused damage (base), cracks; "singiti" figures depict important persons, such as war lords, clan founders or local chiefs. They provide a literal and symbolic link between past generations and current clan leaders, whose families are entrusted with their ownership and care. They were kept in special ceremonial huts, where they received sacrifices and prayers.
H: 30 cm
H: 11.8 inch
Provenance
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Neyt, Francois, Approche des Arts Hemba, Villiers-le-Bel 1975, ill. 25
Sold.
213 Janus figure "kabeja"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Hemba
wood, encrusted brown patina, male/female, arranged back-to-back, round deepening with magical mass on the head, min. dam., traces of insect caused damage, fissures, on base; "kabeja" figures are seen as visual icon of the primordial couple, the founders of the society. They are owned by the clan head known as the "fumu mwela".
H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch
Provenance
Galerie Ros, Basel, Switzerland
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Neyt, Francois, Approche des Arts Hemba, Villiers-le-Bel 1975, p. 39
Sold.
214 Mask "matemu"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Holo
wood, polychrome paint, broad face with slit eyes and accentuated chin, adorned with feather ornament and abundant grass fibre cuff, min. dam., traces of abrasion; the Holo are a small ethnical group, living in the borderland between Zaire and Angola. In the course of their history they were exposed to various influences. The Pende crossed their realm, the Kongo introduced the sacred kaolin and their masquerades are adopted from the Yaka.
H: 20,5 cm
H: 8.1 inch
Provenance
René David, Zurich, Switzerland
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Neyt, Francois, Die Kunst der Holo, München 1982, p. 134, ill. 108
Sold.
215 Bark-cloth painting "morumba" or "pongo"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Ituri Rain Forest, Mbute
painted in black on light background with various linear motifs, glazed, in wooden frame; the Mbute are a group of Pygmies. The decorative art form for which they are best known is drawing. Their distinctive linear designs are found mainly on bark strips and can be applied directly to the skin as temporary corporeal embellishments of a sacred or symbolic nature.
M: ca. 56 cm x 51 cm
M: ca. 22 inch x 20.1 inch
Provenance
The Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium (1995)
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Felix, Marc L., Ituri, München 1992, p. 126
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 433
Sold.
216 Bark-cloth painting "morumba" or "pongo"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Ituri Rain Forest, Mbute
painted in black and reddish brown on light background with linear motifs, wooden framing
M: 72 cm x 23 cm
M: 28.3 inch x 9.1 inch
Provenance
Fred & Jens Jahn, Munich, Germany (1984)
Helmut Zimmer, Zurich, Switzerland
Hans Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Sold.
217 Small power half-figure "kakudji"
D. R. Congo, Kasongo
light brown wood, dark brown patina, of simple clear-cut form with a prominent long beard, a cavity filled with magical mass on the head, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion; the Kasongo mainly produced small magical figures. These could be attached to spears or inserted in calabashs or baskets.
H: 18 cm
H: 7.1 inch
Provenance
Hans Hess, Basel, Switzerland (1976)
Jean-Pierre Lepage, Brussels, Belgium
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 52 f.
Price: 600 - 1200 €
218 Primitive money
D. R. Congo, Katanga
copper, in form of a St. Andrew's cross, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion; one cross was worth 10 kilos of flour, 5-6 fowls, 3 or 4 kilos of rubber, or 6 axes.
B: 22 cm
B: 8.7 inch
Provenance
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Opitz, Charles J., An Ethnographic Study of Traditional Money, Ocala 2000, p. 124
Price: 200 - 400 €
219 Helmet mask "kabongo"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Kuba
wood, dark brown patina, red pigment remains, scarifications in the area of forehead and cheeks, conical protruding eyes, pupils inset with metal tags, a band decorated with cowrie snails at the back, min. dam., traces of insect caused damage, slight traces of abrasion; this mask embodies the spirit of ancestors and is worn during mourning rites for a man. The conical eyes symbolize the eyes of chameleon's standing for the ability to see and read what is actually invisible.
H: 46,5 cm
H: 18.3 inch
Provenance
Émile-Francois Chambon, Geneva, Switzerland (1999)
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Literature
Art from Zaire, 100 Masterworks from the National Collection, New York 1975, p. 87, ill. 62
Sold.
220 Helmet mask "bwoom"
This object is not available any more.
D. R. Congo, Kuba
wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, painted with geometrical pattern, typical coiffure, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion; as one of the three royal masks, "bwoom" belongs to the oldest mask types of the Kuba. Apart from funerals "bwoom" appears at several ceremonies, always changing his meaning according to the context he is used: during the initiation of the boys he represents the spirit "ngeesh". Within the three royal masks he represents "bwoom", an oppositional and unruly character fighting against his brother for his wife and sister "ngaady a mwaash" and for the leadership. The insurgent aspect of the "bwoom" mask figure is expressed by the aggressive dance style.
H: 35 cm
H: 13.8 inch
Provenance
Niono, Paris, France (1965)
Hans Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Exposed in
Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie, Cannes 6. Juli - 29. September 1957, Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, Kunsthaus Zürich, 31. Oktober 1970 - 10. Februar 1971
Sold.
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