Online catalogue for the 68th tribal art auction

341 Face mask "tu bodu" (buffalo) of the "je" group

This object is not available any more.

Ivory Coast, Yaure

wood, blackish brown patina, accents in reddish brown, of oval hollowed form with chin plug and framing zigzag-beard, elaborate coiffure with bow-shaped contour, crowned by curved horns, serene expression on the face, raised scarification marks, slightly dam., on pedestal; the most well-known masks of the Yaure depict a human face with animalic endorsement. They belong to the "je" or "lo" masks, which could take influence on the supernatural forces called "ju", who are either able to cause harm to the people or secure their well-being. Especially a case of death requests the performance of the "tu bodu" masks in order to reestablish the social balance and to accompany the deceased into the world of the hereafter.

H: 25 cm
H: 9.8 inch

Provenance
Jean Deyrolle (1911-1967), Paris, France

Literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 38

Price: 12000 - 25000 €

342 Seated female figure

This object is not available any more.

Ghana, Ashanti

wood, grounding with kaolin, accents in black and red, string of glass beads, forearms and lower legs carved separate, stool missing, rep. (legs), dam., cracks, traces of abrasion

H: 38 cm
H: 15 inch

Sold.

343 Standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

Ghana, Ashanti

light brown wood, black paint, shiny patina, slender body with closed contours, wearing several strings of glass beads around hips and neck, one of them with an english coin of 1936, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base

H: 32,5 cm
H: 12.8 inch

Provenance
Alo Storz (1981)

Price: 900 - 1800 €

344 Fertility doll "akua ba"

This object is not available any more.

Ghana, Ashanti

wood, spotty brown patina, typical form, min. dam., traces of abrasion, on wooden base; women used to carry them on their back before and during pregnancy and used to treat them like real children. They gained their magical power from a deity via the diviner's blessing. After childbirth, they were either dedicated to the deity, placed on a shrine, or they were given to a child for playing.

H: 25 cm
H: 9.8 inch

Provenance
Max Willborg, Stockholm, Sweden

Price: 250 - 500 €

345 Anthropomorphic figure

This object is not available any more.

Togo, Lamba

wood, brown patina with spots, slender slightly curved body with closed contours, expressive facial features: the eyes deeply hollowed, paint rubbed off, cracks, on plate; the Lamba are a small ethnical group living in the northeastern part of Togo, in the borderland of Benin. They make abstract figures in the shape of posts, like those of the Moba, their neighbours in the northwest. Their figures are characterized by compactness and expressivity. They were used manifold, for honouring male ancestors and for twin rites.

H: 57 cm
H: 22.4 inch

Provenance
English Private Collection

Sold.

346 Standing figure

This object is not available any more.

Togo, Tchamba

wood, dark brown patina, the body tightly wrapped in cloth and cord material, some cowrie snails attached, simplified facial features with deeply hollowed eyes, high towering headgear, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion

H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch

Provenance
Diedrich Westermann, Hamburg, Germany

Sold.

347 Standing figure

This object is not available any more.

Togo, Tchamba

wood, partly encrusted patina, sacrificial traces, long-legged, clamp-like arms, a round head with simplified facial features, crowned by a high-crested coiffure, min. dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, cracks, on metal base

H: 35 cm
H: 13.8 inch

Sold.

348 Flute playing "bla bochio"

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

wood, encrusted greyish brown sacrificial patina, the leg zone wrapped with cloth saturated with mass, carrying the lower jaw bone of an animal on the back, on pointed iron base, slightly dam., cracks, on metal base; "bochios" serve as guardians and protectors of a village, a secret society, a family or an individual. They are able to chase away danger from outside, such as sorcery or evil spirits and can eliminate danger from the inside as well, such as dissension and enviousness within the communtity.

H: 61 cm
H: 24 inch

Literature
Geest en Kracht, Vodun uit West-Afrika, Berg en Dal 1996, ill. 69 f.

Sold.

349 Figure "bochio"

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

wood, coated with a thick layer of greyish brown sacrificial patina, rising from a pointed iron base, an ape skull attached in front of the body, a small wooden skewer stuck into the chest, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, on metal base

H: 65 cm
H: 25.6 inch

Sold.

350 Seated figure "bochio"

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

wood, encrusted sacrificial patina, wearing a loincloth and a headscarf, wearing strings of cowrie snails and wooden beads around the neck, wrists and ankles, a big and two small calabashes attached to a belt, min. dam., fissures, slight traces pf abrasion; the "bochio" receive various sacrifices, such as foodstuffs and palm oil, which should enhance the power of the "bochio". Calabashes were attached for soothsaying, pieces of iron should symbolize ancestors.

H: 96 cm
H: 37.8 inch

Sold.