Lot 27, Dayak
fragment of an ancestor image, Borneo, Indonesia, 29 inches high
Lot 27 is a wonderful Dayak
fragment of an ancestor image from Borneo, Indonesia. It is
29 inches high.
The catalogue entry provides the following commentary:
"This beautiful and intriguing fragment, once part of a colossal
ancestor image (generally referred to as a hampatong) is notable for
its great refinement, elegant design, and monumental scale. The wood
has been extensively weathered from exposure to the elements in situ.
This natural erosion poetically cooperates with the
sculptors's design, which persists despite the passage of time.
The lot has an estimate of$15,000 to $25,000. It sold for $35,000.
Lot 86,
Mabilia Figure, Cameroon, 25 3/4 inches high
Lot 86 is a fine
but eroded
Mabilia Figure from Cameroon. It is 25 3/4 inches high.
It has an
estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 143,
Kwere Power Figure, Tanzania, 39 1/2 inches high
One
of the most startling works is Lot 143, a Kwere Power Figure from
Tanzania that is 39 1/2 inches high and looks like it had the leading
role in "The Mummy." It has a modest estimate of $12,000 to
$18,000. It
sold for only $21,250.
Lots 64 and
63, left and right, Senufo Oracle Figures (Kafigeledjo), Ivory Coast,
35 and 41 inches high, respectively
Lot
64 and 63 are superb Senufo Oracle Figures (Kafigeledjo) from the Ivory
Coast. They are 35 and 41 inches high, respectively.
Lot 64
was once in the collection of Allan Frumkin of New York. Its
featureless head is surmounted by hornbill feathers. It has
an
estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $75,000.
Lot
63 has Domestic Chicken feathers as a coiffure and also has a pendant
of a Violet Turaco skull. The catalogue entry notes that
these
figures "are among the most visually poetic of all African figural
sculptures. It quotes a commentary on a similar figure at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art that it "deliberately provokes anxiety
through its shrouded anonymonity and the sense of suffocation and
entrapment." This lot has an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $16,250.
Lot
73, Igbo Male Shrine Figure (Ikenga), Nigeria, 52 1/2 inches
One
of the most imposing works in the auction is Lot 73, a large Ibgo male
shrine figure (Ikenga) from Nigeria. It is 52 1/2
inches
tall. In one hand, the figure holds a large knife and in the
other a severed human head,. The catalogue entry
observes
that the work has a "particularly lively, expressively sculpture
style," add that "with its fleshly features, an impressive set of horns
and a mischievously confident toothy grin, it is a superb image of the
strength and prosperity ikenga expresses." It has a modest
estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It sold for $52,500.
Lot 80,
Ejagham Headdress, Cross River Region, Nigeria, 27 inches high
One
of the most dramatic works in the auction is Lot 80, an
Ejagham
headdress from the Cross River Region in Nigeria. It is 27
inches
high. The catalogue entry quotes commentary on a similar work
in
the Musee Barbier-Mueller in Geneva that observes that"the
monumental hairstyle is composed of five coiled plaits or braids
unusually large in African statuary and masterful in the perfection and
symmetry of their coils. Ethographic accounts report that this
hairstyle was worn by young women during initiation and the period of
reclusion prior to marriage The lot was formerly in the
Merton D.
Simpson collection. It has an estimate of $100,000 to
$150,000.
It sold for
$305,000.
Lot
103, Kongo Community Power Figure of the name "Chingunge N," Loango
Kingdom, Republic of Congo, 22 1/2 inches high, left; Lot 100, Kongo-Yorribe Nail
Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 28 inches high
Lot
103 is a Kongo Community Power Figure of the name "Chingung N" from the
Loango Kingdom in the Republic of Congo. It is 22 1/2 inches
high
and has considerable traces of kaolin. It was
collected by
Robert Visser between 1882 and 1903 and was once in the collection of
Merton D. Simpson of New York. It has an estimate of $150,000
to
$250,000. It
sold for $293,000.
Lot
100 is a Kongo-Yorribe Nail Power Figure from the Democratic Republic
of the Congo. It is 28 inches high and was once in the
collection
of Merton D. Simpson of NewYork. It has an estimate of
$400,000
to $600,000. It
sold for $1,805,000.
Lot 131,
Songye Community Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 36
inches high
A very striking
Songye Community Power Figure from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
is Lot 131. It is 36 inches high and is adorned with metal
headdress and facial decorations and magical substances (bishima) and
metal elements (bishishi). It has a modest estimate of
$150,000 to $250,000. It
sold for $137,000.
Lot 118,
"Songye Community Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 35
inches high
Lot
118 is a great Songye Community Power Figure from the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. It is 35 inches tall and was once in
the collection of Charles Ratton of Paris and Merton D. Simpson of New
York. The head is decorated with feathers of the female Congo
Peafowl, streips of the Common Waterbuck Antelope and covered with
White-Throated Monitor and Ringed water cobra skin. With its
ribbed neck and square-shaped torso and various attachments and studs,
this is a spectacular work. The lot has an estimate of
$400,000 to $600,000. It
sold for only $605,000.
Lot 134,
"Songye Community Power Figure, Democratic Republic on the Congo, 32
1/2 inches high
Another
impressive Songye Community Power Figure is Lot 134, which is 32 1/2
inches high. It was formerly in the collections of John J.
Klejman of New York,Leslie and Peter Schlumberger of Houston, and
Merton D.Simpson of New York. It has an estimate of $100,000
to $150,000. It
sold for $341,000.
Lot 92,
Fang-Ntumu Male Reliquary Figure, Gabon, 17 1/4 inches
Lot
92 is a good Fang-Ntumu Male Reliquary Figure from Gabon. It
is
17 1/4 inches high. It has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000.
It sold for
$75,000.
Lot 78,
"Wurkin/Bikwin Vertical Female Mask," Benue River Valley, Nigeria, 38
inches high
Lot
78 is a stunning "Wurkin/Bikwin Vertical Female Mask" from
the
Benue River Valley in Nigeria. It is 38 inches high
It has
an estimate of $7,000 to $10,000. It sold for $4,375.
Lot 35, Naga
headdress probably Tangkhul Group,Nagaland, India, 42 inches high
Lot
35 is an impressive Naga headdress, probably Tangkhul Group, from
Nagaland, India. It is 42 inches high and was once in the
collection of Maureen Zarember. It has an estimate of $3,000
to
$5,000. It
sold for $10,000.
Lot
82, left, and Lot 83, right, Bamileke beaded elephant masks, Cameroon,
66 and 60 inches high, respectively
Lot
82 an 83 are very colorful and delightful Bamileke beaded elephant
masks from Cameroon. There are 66 and 60 inches high.
Lot
82 has an estimate of $7,000 to $10,000. It sold for $8,125.
Lot 83 has an estimate of $4.000 to $6,000. It sold for $8,750.
Lot
45, Bwa Serpent Mask (Doho), Burkina Faso, 14 feet 11 inches long
Lot
45 is a spectacular Bwa Serpent Mask (Doho) from Burkina Faso.
It is 14 feet 11 inches long. The catalogue entry
includes a 1987 quotation from Christopher Boy about the mythological
origin of the serpent "masquerade":
"Many years ago the men of Dossi raided a neighboring
village and were routed. An elder from Dossi hid from his
vengeful pursuers in the burrow of a great serpent, saying to the
serpent that he was not there to harm it but to save his own life.
He was forced to hide for two market weeks, during which time
the serpent brought game to the burrow for the elder to eat.
When, eventually, the elder returned to Dossi, he consulted a
diviner, who told him to carve a mask and to respect the serpent as a
protective spirit."
The lot has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $112,500.
