African Art Auction Ending 7/27

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CEREMONIAL WEAPONS. (A) Kondo people, Congo. Carried by important members of the community in ceremonial events and used as a weapon in combat. Note the central strut that bifurcates at the top of the blade. Hand forged iron. H 19in. (B) Mende people, Sierra Leone. Elegant ceremonial ax carried by the Digba, the woman in charge of the Bundu initiation ceremony for young women. On custom base. Iron, wood. H 16.5in. Collected in 1940s. Ex Jeremiah Cole collection. (C) Ngala and Ngombe people, Congo. Base of the blade above the wood handle is wrapped with flat copper wire. Engraved designs on the surface of the blackened blade. This knife was used to behead wives and other relatives of a chief or senior member of the community. The heads were then placed in the grave of the deceased person, invariably a man, so that the relatives could accompany and give support to to the deceased individual in the afterlife. This ritual persisted until the mid-20th century after which time one or more goats were decapitated. The blade of this example dating from the late 19th century shows evidence of ritual use. On custom base. Iron, wood, copper. H 27in.

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WEDDING BLANKET. Fulani people, Mali and Niger. The small central orange square represents the nuclear family in their home (the white square). Multiple hand woven and hand sewn wide strips with various designs and tufting. The side showing tufting is the front. Cotton. 61in x 121in.

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BANDAKA “JELLYFISH” FORM CURRENCY. Mambila and Chamba people, Cameroon. The semi-oval blade is divided into 2 sections separated by a narrow spine that arises from the handle. The lower edge of one half of the blade is rippled and a knob protrudes from the other half. The upper third of the handle just below the blade is wrapped with an iron band, presumably to add greater importance to the object. The lower end of the shaft is curved like an umbrella handle. The name, Bandaka, comes from the name of a small village where these objects were first found by explorers around 1900, but it is not known if these objects are produced in this village, On custom base. Hand forged iron. H 16in. Ex Roberto Ballarini collection, Milan Italy.

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CEREMONIAL IRON SNAKES. West Africa. Snakes play an important role in African divination ceremonies. Masters of this method are believed to have the power to call snakes to them from the bush and to forecast events from the behavior of the snakes, or to implore the snakes to cure illness. All hand forged. (A) Lobi people, Burkina Faso H 15in. (B) Dogon people, Mali. Ceremonial sickle knife blade arising from the body of a snake. Carried by a snake diviner. On custom base. H 12in. (C) and (D) Lobi people, Burkina Faso. The Lobi have long used fetish objects and charms in the form of snakes. Some are worn to ward off snakes or dangerous spirits (C) whereas others are placed in personal altars where they were consulted to help solve personal problems (D). The number of heads may relate to the effectiveness of the object. (C) is an exceptionally fine, beautifully coiled personal fetish, a masterpiece of the blacksmith’s art. It would have been worn secured to the side of a leg below the knee. Hand forged iron. On custom base. H 10.25in. (D) Four-headed snake which would have been placed at a personal altar. On custom base. Hand forged iron. H 12.25in.

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EXTRAORDINARY JOLLAY SOCIETY HELMET MASK. Temne people, Sierra Leone. This mask honors Mami Wata, a powerful water spirit, represented by the female figure seated astride the Sowei-style helmet mask with multiple faces. Her arms, flexed at the elbows, are articulated at the shoulders. The white paint connects the mask with ancestral spirits and it is decorated with Hindu-inspired designs that are associated with Mami Wata. The wearer is able to see through small apertures in the neck. Triangular objects carved between the faces represent protective amulets inspired by the Kaballah triangle known as “abra kadabra”. On custom base. Wood, paint, nails. H 27in. Ex Jeremiah Cole collection.

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TWO CROSS-SHAPED HANDAS AND KATANGA COPPER ORE. Tetela and Luba people, Congo. Made in the copper-rich Katanga region by pouring molten copper into a mold carved in stone or specially prepared sand. Hence the name, Katanga cross used by Western collectors. Widely used in Central Africa as currency. Around 1870, a goat cost 3 handas, a male slave 3-5 handas and a female slave 5-10 handas. Used as currency in Congo until the 1940s. (A) and (B) Handas on custom bases. Each H 5.5in. (C) Katanga copper ore.

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MITAKO COILED OR SPIRAL MANILLA. Cross River region, Nigeria. The mitako was made by cutting coils of imported copper wire into specified lengths and adding conical copper caps to the ends. They were generally made in coastal regions and used for trade inland. Small pieces were sometimes cut from mitakos as they traveled to the interior from hand to hand, a process called SWEATING, which caused the value to decrease. This example made from round wire weighs 4.5lb. Length 11.5in.

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SOMBÉ OR SOMME CURRENCY BUNDLE. Gyro and Baule people, Western Ivory Coast. In the Ivory Coast, bundles of Sombé were paid as bride price. The suitor would arrange for the kidnapping of his prospective bride and pay bride price to her father through an intermediary in the form of 4 bundles of Sombé. On custom base. Hand forged iron. H 9in.

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ANCIENT MIMBOSS CURRENCY. Bene (Bane) and Fang people, Cameroon. Bundles of these small arrow heads were used as money in southern Cameroon for centuries until the 1920s when they were replaced by European-style currency. This group of 13 mimboss dates from the mid-1800s. A bundle consisting of 10 was called a ntet. Around 1900 bride price was 10,000 mimboss. Hand forged arrow heads. 5in to 6.5in.

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RARE TWISTED BUNDLE OF LARGE QUINZE CURRENCY. Toma people, Guinea and Liberia. The Kissi and Toma tribes occupy overlapping regions and had similar forms of pre-coin currency. Compared to the Kissi quinze (see LOT #11), the Toma quinze was larger, had wider wings, a flat shaft, and lacked a foot. This unusual bundle of Toma quinze dates from the late 1800s when these objects were still actively used. In 1925 during colonial administration, bride price could be as much as 2500 Toma quinze, equal to 300 man-days of labor. On custom base. Hand forged iron. H 25in. Ex Eric Robertson collection.

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STATUE OF A KING. Dengese people, Congo. The King is holding emblems of his office: a sword and a bowl for libations. The Dengese are known for having the more elaborate and extensive scarifications than any other African tribe. The scarifications are produced by cutting elaborate designs in the skin and treating the wounds with compounds that cause keloidal scars to form. Hand carved wood. H 18.5in.

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TWO ASAFO MILITIA FLAGS. Fante people, Ghana. (A) The images in this flag express the saying: “Seeing is Believing” as in the proverb, “The outside of a bag is not the same as the inside”. It is a warning not to misjudge the military prowess of the No.2 Asafo Company. The flag shows 2 native farmers bringing bowls of rice to be inspected by a representative of a White colonial officer. The canton is a British Union Jack. Cotton textile with hand sewn figures and embroidered details. 60in x 38.5in. (B) This flag celebrates the success of an Asafo Company in the Aboakye festival in the town of Winneba. A highlight of this event is a competition in which several of the town’s Companies try to be the first to capture an antelope alive so that it can be sacrificed in honor of the God who protected ancestors who migrated to Winnba, a coastal town, from the interior centuries ago. The canton is a British Union Jack. Figures hand sewn with embroidered details. Cotton textile. 70in x 38.5in.

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WEST AFRICAN BRACELETS. All cast brass. (A) Mossi people, Burkina Faso. Satellite form with circumferential blade. Could be used as a weapon for self-defense. Width 5.25in. (B) Baule people, Ivory Coast. Hollow containing clay balls. Rattles when shaken. Width 5.25in. (C) Lobi people, Burkina Faso. Barrel shaped. Width 4in. (D) Kpelle people, Guinea. Two ribbed bracelets: one with 3 large ribs (width 4.25in); other with 4 smaller ribs (width 3in).

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VERY OLD MALE SHRINE FIGURE. Dogon people, Mali. Probably dates from late 16th or early 17th century. Found in a cave in the Bandiagara cliffs. The early Dogon people who were farmers on the plains below the cliffs retreated to these caves when threatened by attack by other tribes between 1500 and 1800. The caves are very dry and objects left there have been well preserved. Some caves still contain active shrines. On custom base. Wood. H 11in.

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ABSTRACT SCULPTURE. Makonde people, Tanzania. This is an example of what is called Modern Makonde Art. This carving tradition arose in the early 1950s, shortly after World War II. Working with very dense, hard ebony wood, Makonde sculptors began to create semi-abstract and abstract figures that incorporated references to the human body. This example has been carved from a single block of ebony wood, a remarkable feat given the fact that the wood is almost as hard as steel. Especially notable are the slender, smoothly polished elements. The only actual marks left by the carver are at the base. Collected in the area of Dar es Salaam in 1986. Polished ebony wood. H 20.5in.

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ANTHROPOMORPHIC BIRD FETISH. Baga people, Guinea. This sculpture is heavily encrusted with libations which obscure red, black and white pigments. The avian head with slit eyes and a long, curved beak sits on a human torso supported by human legs that are bent at the knees. Wings are represented by flat discs on either side. Late 19th century. On custom base. Wood, pigment, libations. H 21.5in.

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ODE LAY SOCIETY HEAD CREST MASK. Temne people, Sierra Leone. The horns, wings and tail are detachable and have knobs which fit in sockets in the leopard head and female bust. The hair is braided with dependent hinged braids that move forward and back on both sides of the female bust. On the back is a wooden ball with many holes into which very sharp, pointed porcupine quills are inserted to enhance the ferocity of the assemblage. The leopard head is hinged so that it can move about 10 degrees forward and back. Nails and the ring around the base were used to anchor a voluminous costume that shrouded the masker. Wood, paint, nails, metal, porcupine quills. H (without horns) 30in.

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PAIR OF JOLLAY SOCIETY HEAD CREST MASKS. Temne people, Sierra Leone. These masks representing a couple appear to have been carved by the same artist because of similarities in style (note the eyes) and paint. (A) The female bust has arms articulated at the shoulders. Her bosom is enhanced with foam rubber to simulate a padded bra under her dress. (B) The acutely angled coiffure of the male bust represents a type of jaunty knitted cap which was popular in Sierra Leone in the 1960s. (A) Wood, paint, cloth, foam rubber. H 23in. (B) Wood, cloth, paint. H 18.5in.

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THREE ABAMBAY STONE BRACELETS. Taureg people, Niger. These rings are carved from blocks of gneiss stone using an adze and are worn on the arm above the elbow as ornaments and as amulets for protection against evil spirits. This selection is unusual because of the veined stone they were carved from. Each on custom base and each 4in in diameter. See pamphlet in LOT #60 about these rings.

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AFRICAN ART BOOKS AND LITERATURE. Includes 6 books on traditional African weapons, African masks, Asafo flags, Malian puppets, Makonde sculpture (LOT #55), copper artwork, and stone bracelets. This auction has, and prior auctions have had, many examples of masks, Asafo flags, weapons etc described in these books.