Online catalogue for the 68th tribal art auction

431 Spoon

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Boa

wood, shiny patina, deeply hollowed oval spoon, open worked handle ornamented with metal tags, min. dam., traces of usage, on metal base; spoons of this kind were signs of wealth, because only people who could afford rich and manifold food owned such elaborate decorated spoons. They were also used to sacrifice the ancestors to ensure their favour and protection.

H: 17,5 cm
H: 6.9 inch

Provenance
Didier Claes, Brussels, Belgium

Price: 1000 - 2000 €

432 Face mask

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Bwaka

wood, blackish brown patina, asymmetrical facial features, carved teeth, vertical scarification marks, accentuated by red pigment, slightly dam., missing parts at the rim, min. insect caused damage, on pedestal; used at circumcision rites when the initiates return to the village, often paired male/female.

H: 28 cm
H: 11 inch

Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 121, ill. 11

Price: 2000 - 4000 €

433 Standing male figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, shiny brown patina, clumsy feet, conical headgear with circular ornament, min. dam.

H: 42 cm
H: 16.5 inch

Provenance
German Collection, Cologne (1960)

Sold.

434 Comb

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

light brown wood, shiny dark brown patina, 8 teeth, partly open worked handle, surmounted by a seated figure wearing a flat hat, min. dam., slight traces of usage, on base

H: 22 cm
H: 8.7 inch

Provenance
Old Belgian Collection

Sold.

435 Comb

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D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, shiny brown patina, seven teeth, crowned by a seated female figure, min. dam., minor missing parts (teeth)

H: 14,5 cm
H: 5.7 inch

Provenance
Wolfgang Nerlich, Munich, Germany

Price: 200 - 400 €

436 Axe

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Chokwe

wood, dark brown patina, iron, straight wooden handle, decorated with metal wire and metal tags, min. dam., slight traces of corrosion

H: 38 cm
H: 15 inch

Provenance
Werner Krauß, Vienna, Germany

Sold.

437 Figural pendant

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Hungana

ivory, shiny patina, in form of a kneeling square figure, min. dam., fissures through age, on wooden base; with five thousand people the Hungana form one of the smallest ethnic group at the river of Kwango. Together with the Mbala they came from Angola under the leadership of Makoko. Small ivory or bone figural amulets are the best known form of Hungana sculpture. The large-headed figures are usually female and they are always shown kneeling, a position suggesting submission throughout African art.

H: 7 cm
H: 2.8 inch

Provenance
C. Morlet Brussels, Belgium
Charles Ratton, Paris, France
Maurice Bonnefoy, Paris, France
Sotheby´s, New York, 19 May 2001, lot 216

Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 43, ill. 11

Price: 4500 - 9000 €

438 Caryatid stool

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Kalundwe

wood, dark brown patina, raised scarification marks, the eyes inset with metal tags and painted in silver, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base; the Kalundwe are a small ethnic group, having their homeland in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Although belonging to the Luba cluster, they are artistically influenced not only by the Chokwe, but also by the Kanyok, and of course by the other Luba groups, like the Luba-Shankadi, Luba-Shaba and Luba-Lomami. Like Kalundwe society itself, the art is class-conscious with certain objects reserved for the notables, f.e. decorated adzes, clan ancestor figures, double cups, staffs and stools.

H: 42 cm
H: 16.5 inch

Provenance
O.M., Belgium (collected in 1925)

Literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 49, ill. 1

Sold.

439 Ancestor half figure

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Kasongo

wood, partly shiny brown patina, of abstract form, a conical shaped trunk flanked by free carved arms, the bearded face crowned by a package filled with magical mass, min. dam., cracks, minor missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, on wooden base; the Kasongo are a small ethnic group, only little documented in literature. They are neighbours with the Hemba, the Songe, the Bangubangu, the Kusu and the Tetela, which influenced them stylistically. Aside big shrine figures, which are quite rare, the Kasongo mainly produced small magical figures. These could be attached to spears or inserted in calabashs or baskets. There are no characteristics of Kasongo sculpture, their style is a mixture of Lega and Songe influences.

H: 50 cm
H: 19.7 inch

Provenance
Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium
Philippe Ratton, Paris, France
Michel Gaud, Saint Tropez, France

Literature
Mestach, Willy: L'intelligence des formes, Brüssel 2007, p. 113, ill. 029

Price: 60000 - 120000 €

440 Anthropomorphic face mask "ngady amwaash"

This object is not available any more.

D. R. Congo, Kuba

wood, dyed with red pigment, narrow slit eyes with white lids, parallel lines under the eyes "byoosh'dy" (symbolizing tears), blackish-white triangular decor "lancoong" in the chin area, elaborate bonnet of plant fibre bast and fabric with a coiffure of raffia plush and glass beads, slightly dam. (nose), beaded string partly loose, partly missing, on metal base; various characteristics of the "ngaady amwaash" mask type are present, only the beaded band reaching from the base of the nose to the chin is missing as well as the beads aplied as eyebrows. This could refer to the fact that the mask was used outside of the royal court. Masking tradition of the Kuba is associated with the initiation of young boys "nkaan" on the one hand and with public ceremonies and celebrations referring to the sacral sovereigns "nyim" on the other hand. The masquerades fulfill educational and protective functions, serve for entertainment and try to guarantee safety and maintenance of the social and political order. The three royal masks "mwaash amboy", "ngaady amwaash" und "bwoom" conjure the genesis of the Kuba. "Mwaash amboy" represents the first ancestor of the Bushong ("woot"), "ngaady amwaash" his spouse and sister ("mweel") and "bwoom" the insurgent brother, rebelling against the royal autority.

H: 27,5 cm
H: 10.8 inch

Provenance
Peter Loebarth, Hameln, Germany
Fred Jahn, Munich, Germany

Literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Afrika - Kult und Visionen, Detmold 1999, p. 156 f., ill. 96
Herreman, Frank, Petridis, Constantijn (ed.), Face of the Spirits, Tervuren 1993, ill. 62

Price: 10000 - 20000 €