Online catalogue for the 68th tribal art auction

351 Bochio "kpodohonme"

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

wood, brown patina, strongly encrusted in some areas, various metal objects (a small asen altar backside, iron snakes and chains), a small receptacle in front of the body, the objects fixed with plant fibre, fabric and clay-like mass, slightly dam., crack (base), traces of insect caused damage (right side of the body), corrosion

H: 46 cm
H: 18.1 inch

Sold.

352 Bochio "kpodohonme"

This object is not available any more.

Benin, Fon

wood, fabric cape, metal chain with numerous padlocks around the body, rich sacrificial traces (feathers) and encrusted sacrificial patina on the head, the fabric saturated with mass, skull of a small animal (dog?), slightly dam., cracks, on metal plate, in acrylic glass cabinet; metal objects are particularly "strong". They invoke the Vodun "gu", the god of iron, technology and the violence of war. Padlocks enable to "lock up" evil forces, or shut them up in an iron ring.

H: 49 cm
H: 19.3 inch

Literature
Geest en Kracht, Vodun uit West-Afrika, Berg en Dal 1996, p. 149, ill. 68

Sold.

353 Seated female figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Afo

metal, dark patina, fabric, earrings, tube-like curved limbs, crested coiffure, min. dam., minor missing parts, slight traces of corrosion, on metal base; the Afo are a small ethnic group in central Nigeria, calling themselves "Eloyi", they have their homelands in the foothills of the Nassarawa and Loko mountains to the north of the Benue river. The sculptural capabilities of the Afo in wood carving and bronze casting were esteemed by many neighbours, notably the Igala, but also in regions further afield, to where they had obviously exported their art works.

H: 22,5 cm
H: 8.9 inch

Provenance
Guy van Rijn, Brussels, Belgium

GVR Archives Registration No.
0104905

Price: 2500 - 5000 €

354 Background panel "urua" of a chief's ancestor altar

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Benin

heavy wood, greyish brown patina, carved with two stylized ram heads in flat relief, raised band ornaments with notches in the lower third, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, traces of weathering; panels like the present are extremely rare, they can be found only in shrines of high ranking "owo" and "Edo/Bini" (Benin Kingdom) chiefs.

H: 119 cm; B: 23 cm
H: 46.9 inch; B: 9.1 inch

Provenance
Bödiger Bonn, Auktion Nr. 236, November 1998, lot 788

Price: 1000 - 1800 €

355 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Bini

wood, dyed with a thick layer of kaolin, decorating elements accentuated with reddish brown pigment, dark brown accents, the face "vizor"- like enclosed by a tube-like framing, crowned by a tapering bonnet with ear-like projections, rep. (right ear, chin), min. dam., slight traces of abrasion; a mask of the same artist, which was discovered in situ by L. Kegel and B. Konietzko is explicitly mentioned and pictured in H. Himmelheber, 1960, p. 270, ill. 203. Himmelheber pointed out, that this mask remotely reminds of the style of the bronze heads of Benin. The "vizor"-like framing might be a carved version of the glass bead collars.

H: 38 cm
H: 15 inch

Provenance
Boris Kegel-Konietzko, Hamburg, Germany
Hubert Caspers, Hamburg, Germany

Literature
Himmelheber, Hans, Negerkunst und Negerkünstler, Würzburg 1960
Eisenhofer, Stefan (Hg.), Kulte, Künstler, Könige in Afrika, Linz 1997, p. 143

Price: 750 - 1500 €

356 dropped

This object is not available any more.

357 Anthropomorphic mask

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Jos Plateau

wood, spread with a thick layer of clay-like mass with red ground coat, eye-zone and oval mouth accentuated with white paint, plug on the parting, metal tags, slightly dam., missing parts through insect caused damage (above all on the back), chapped surface structure, on metal base; rare mask type, possibly from the Jos Plateau, showing jukunoide influence. Difficult to assign, because masking traditions of the ethnical groups in this area are strongly intermingled. Excellent patina, above all on the inside, referring to long ritual usage.

H: 31 cm
H: 12.2 inch

Sold.

358 Standing female figure

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Djibete

wood, middle brown patina, black paint, a massive voluminous body (legs, shoulders) composed of clear contoured geometrical forms, the columnar neck supporting a proportionally small head with bulky coiffure, accentuated cut facial features, linear skin scarification marks on body and face, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base; the Djibété are a small ethnical group in northern Nigeria. Aside of the figure published in "Image de la Femme dans l' Art Africain" (ill. 59), only bird masks with long beak are known from the Djibété. Nothing is known of their ritual use. Present figure therefore eminently rare !

H: 50,5 cm
H: 19.9 inch

Provenance
Bernard Dulon, Paris, France

Literature
H. Joubert, M. L. Félix, M. Rivière, Image de la Femme dans l' Art Africain, Ballan-Miré 2000, ill. 59
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, München, Berlin 1994, p. 188

Price: 6000 - 12000 €

359 Prayer board

This object is not available any more.

Nigeria, Haussa

wood, white pigment remains, black paint, front and backside inscribed with coran sayings, min. dam., traces of usage; such tablets were variously used within subsaharian Africa, including northern Nigeria, for example by young boys for learning how to write. Religious specialists wrote coran sayings on the tablest, which were removed by washing lateron and the liquid was given to the client for drinking, which should prevent him of any harm.

H: 58,5 cm; B: 28,5 cm
H: 23 inch; B: 11.2 inch

Literature
Heathcote, David, The arts of the Hausa, o. O. 1976, p. 23

Sold.

360 Two masks

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Nigeria, Ibibio

wood, polychrome paint, "mfon" mask, crowned by a human head, min. dam., missing parts, slight traces of abrasion; additional: mask with a "smiling" mouth, min. dam.

H: 32 cm/19 cm
H: 12.6 inch/7.5 inch

Literature
Wittmer, Marcilene K., Arnett, William, Three Rivers of Nigeria, Atlanta 1978, p. 64 f.

Price: 500 - 1000 €