African Art Auction Ending 4/9

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WEST AFRICAN STRIP WEAVING MATERIALS. (A) Pair of carding paddles used to transform raw cotton balls into strands that can be spun into threads. Late 19th-early 20th century. Labelled “CARD COTTON No1. Made by BFC FRANCE” with eagle trademark. Wire bristles, cloth, wood, nails. W 10.5in. (B) Oval bundle of hand spun cotton thread on a stick. Made by spinning cotton strands created with carding paddles. A bundle such as this was used to lay out the warp threads for undyed country cloth. A RARE FIND since commercially made thread wound on spools has been used for more than 75 years in West Africa. Mende people, Sierra Leone. Hand spun cotton thread, wood. L 10.5in. (C) Bundle of very fine, multicolored silk thread prepared to lay out the warp stripe pattern for an Ashante textile. Ashante people, Ghana. L 9.5in. (D) Two weaving “boats” (shuttles) and a hollow wooden spool with tightly wound fine blue thread. The spool rides on a wire that fits into a shuttle. Shuttle is passed back and forth between warp threads. Ashante people, Ghana. Wood, thread. “Boats” 8 in; Spool 6in. (E) Hand carved heddle pulley of Akan doll form and spool. Used to suspend a heddle through which warp threads are passed. Ashante people, Ghana. Wood. Pulley H 6.0in; Spool H 1.5in. (F) Two Heddles. Used to separate warp threads. One or more warp threads are passed through each space between the “teeth” made of fine threads. (1) Ashante people, Ghana. VERY OLD single heddle made from numerous strands of fine thread suspended between two rods. A bundle of green threads tied to a rope loop on one side passes through the shaft of a disc (made by cutting a thread spool in half) that serves as a pedal which the weaver holds between two toes to raise and lower the heddle. Wood, thread. Heddle 6.5in. (2) Ashante people, Ghana. VERY OLD double heddle with same form as (1). The two heddles were operated in tandem in order to manipulate different sets of warp threads. The heddles were suspended by loops of rope at the top. The bundles of green and black thread on the bottom were used to suspend foot pedals operated by the left and right feet, respectively. Heddles 6in each. (G) Beater. Ashante people, Ghana. The beater was used to pull each weft thread tightly in place after it was passed between the warp threads. The ropes at each end were used to suspend the beater. Wood, rope. 5.5in x 7.5in. (H) Ashante people, Ghana. Weaving sword. Used to separate selected warp threads to pass weft threads in “boat”. On custom base. Wood. H 10in. (I) Grooved beater. Used to soften raffia cloth and to give sheen to waxed, tie-dyed cotton cloth. Face carved on handle. H 13in. SEE ATTACHED PICTURES OF WEAVERS AT WORK IN GHANA, the pictures are for reference only and are not included in the lot. {1. Weaver in his work station. Red, green and gold weft threads stretch from lower left into white heddle suspended from a heddle pulley. Weavers holds pedals to operate heddles between his toe. Bonwire Ghana. 2. View from inside a weaver’s work station showing weft threads attached to a weight to keep the taut as they enter heddles suspended from heddle pulleys. Sanga village, Ghana. 3. Apprentice weaver 18-year-old Stanley Emeybo holding a shuttle in his work station. Picture shows the position of two heddles and a beater on the warp threads. Sanga Village, Ghana. 4. An apprentice weaver holding a shuttle in his right hand is using a beater in his left hand to tighten a weft thread he has just inserted with the shuttle. Note his feet operating pedals attached to the heddles. Sanga Village, Ghana.}

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CEREMONIAL NECKLACE. Bamum people, Cameroon. Chief’s necklace consisting of beads carved from kola nuts and 3 large, egg-shaped wooden beads covered with hand-sewn Ndop cloth worn by Chiefs and high-ranking Court officials. Beads, cloth. H 20in.

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FOREARM CUFF. Fra Fra people, Burkina Faso. Highly prized and worn on the forearm between the wrist and elbow by a woman at important festivals as a symbol of high social status in the community. Sometimes a cuff was worn on each arm. Polished brass. H 7in.

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HEAVY BRASS ANKLET. Mongo or Kondo people, Democratic Republic of Congo. Dates from the early 20th century or before. To make this anklet, molten brass was poured into a flat mold in the soil that was created from the impression made with a wooden form. When still hot, the flat brass ingot was wrapped around the heavily padded ankle of a wealthy man’s wife. Although now tarnished with age, the anklet would have been kept brightly polished by the woman who wore it. It served as a store of wealth, like money in a bank account, and as a mark of high prestige in the community. Knowledge of how the procedure of attaching and removing the anklet was actually performed is no longer extant. Considering the method by which the anklet was produced, the finely etched surface design with intersecting bands of thin parallel lines is truly remarkable. The inside reveals the uneven texture of the cooled molten brass, providing a strong contrast with the finely finished outer surface. H 4.75in Diameter 4.5in. Weight 7lb 3oz.

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THREE DUBIL CURRENCY RODS. Sukur people, Nigeria and Cameroon. This iron rod currency was made from locally smelted iron by tribal blacksmiths in the Madagoli region of northern Nigeria and Cameroon living in the Mandara Mountains. The blacksmith’s hammer marks are readily apparent. The form with flared ends (that resembles a tibia or shin bone) dates from as early as the 16th century and possibly earlier. In the early 1700s, a male slave cost 13 dubil and a female slave 10 dubil. On custom magnetic base. Hand forged locally smelted iron. H 14-16in.

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IRON ROD CURRENCY. Ibibio, Efik, and other people in Cross River and Calabar region, Nigeria. These 9 flat rods measuring 13.5in to 16in in length and 3/8 to 5/8in wide date from the 1850s to 1900. All show blacksmith’s hammer marks and were probably traded to natives by Europeans for slaves (female slave worth 10 rods) and used by Africans as currency or to make tools. On custom base. Ex Roberto Ballarini collection, Milan Italy.

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BLOLO SPIRIT SPOUSE. Baule people, Ivory Coast. This finely carved figure personifies a spirit referred to as a spouse who helps solve personal problems by giving advice in a person’s dreams. The statue is kept in the owner’s room where it is offered libations. This tall example has numerous traditional scarifications. On custom base. H 26in. Wood, pigment. See Bacquart 1998 p.48-49.

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Lobi figure. Burkima Faso, solid one piece carved wooden figure of nude male affixed to custom metal base.

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OLD BOGOLAN RUNNER. Bamana people, Mali. Made from 3 strips of hand woven cotton cloth, this fringed textile displays traditional designs created with pigment derived from soil (“mud cloth”). Collected in Segou, the center for bogolan textiles, this example is unusual for the soft, finely woven cloth that was used and the central cartouche design. Cotton cloth, pigment. 58in x 15in. See Gillow 2003 p 87.

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RARE ASAFO FLAG BEARER/DANCER’S SKIRT. Fante people, Ghana. The man who carries and performs with an Asafo flag (frankaa) is the frankaakitsanyi. This is a very position in the Asafo Company that requires long training as an apprentice and great agility (see picture). The skirt may be made from plain or dyed grass, or sewn from fine, colorful fabric which in this case is red velvet with satin bands. H 22in.

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MAN’S KENTE PRESTIGE ROBE. Asante people, Ghana. This cloth is named “Mmaaban”, meaning “unity” because it has multiple warp stripe patterns. The dominant warp design is Oyokoman, consisting of red, green and gold stripes in several variant forms. Oyokoman refers to the Oyoko clan from which Asante Kings (Asantehene) were chosen. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the independent Asante clans joined forces in wars against British efforts to gain control over the Gold Coast. The powerful Oyoko clan was chosen to lead this confederation and it’s leaders became hereditary Asantehene in subsequent generations. Other warp stripe patterns represented are Kyemee, named for the powerful Asante Chief Kyime, and Mmeeeda, meaning “something extraordinary”. This hand woven, hand sewn cloth was collected in Bonwire, Ghana, the center of the Asante kente weaving tradition. The weaver is said to have been Nana Kwabena Boateng and it is estimated to date from around 1930. Silk and cotton. 22 strips. 128in x 73in.

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OLD CURRENCY SPEARS. Tuareg people, Mali and Niger. The Tuareg are nomadic people in the southern Sahara regions of Mali and Niger. Spear-form currency was exchanged in important transactions like the purchase of a camel or rifle, and as bride wealth. These examples were collected from a Tuareg man in the city of Moptiin northern Mali in 2003. More recently, many local tribesmen in and around this city, including the Tuareg, have become involved in Jihadist terrorism. Consequently, it is no longer safe for Westerners to visit this region and coveted objects such as these currency spears are difficult to obtain. To facilitate transport on a camel, each spear consists of 2 sections. The upper blade ends in a tapered blunt point that fits in a leather-bound socket at the top of the handle. A couple of brass bells are suspended from a ring below each leather-bound socket. There are engraved abstract designs on both sides of each blade and handle.