Congo
Luba
1
Mask
2021 SOLD for € 7.2M by Christie's
Malembe-Nkulu is a region in south Congo, now in the Democratic Republic of the Congo just north from Zambia.
A Luba mask from that region is classified as a beast-man mask by some specialists. Less than 10 examples are surviving. They were for the use of the leaders in the initiation rituals. He would have the applicant inhale a medicine to make him faint, simulating death.
The tight pattern of scarifications on the forehead and below the eyes was also directly painted on the skin of other attendants. They were certainly influenced by the Zambian Tshokwe.
A Malembe-Nkulu Luba mask 51 cm high was sold for € 7.2M from a lower estimate of € 1.5M by Christie's on June 23, 2021, lot 43 from the Périnet collection. It is enhanced by white kaolin in the chiseled pattern. The patina is superb. The face expression with protruding eyebrows and severe mouth is both authoritative and benevolent.
A Luba mask from that region is classified as a beast-man mask by some specialists. Less than 10 examples are surviving. They were for the use of the leaders in the initiation rituals. He would have the applicant inhale a medicine to make him faint, simulating death.
The tight pattern of scarifications on the forehead and below the eyes was also directly painted on the skin of other attendants. They were certainly influenced by the Zambian Tshokwe.
A Malembe-Nkulu Luba mask 51 cm high was sold for € 7.2M from a lower estimate of € 1.5M by Christie's on June 23, 2021, lot 43 from the Périnet collection. It is enhanced by white kaolin in the chiseled pattern. The patina is superb. The face expression with protruding eyebrows and severe mouth is both authoritative and benevolent.
2
Bow Stand by the Warua Master
2015 SOLD for £ 6.1M by Christie's
The Luba lived in the vast region between the Congo River and Lake Tanganyika. Their monarchy was centralized and powerful. Around 1900 their royal art began to be studied, enabling to identify the creations of two artists who probably lived in the time of the height of that empire a few decades earlier.
The continuous movement of the tribes has a consequence that African art is not local but mixed with neighboring influences. The two leading artists whose figuration is very different have also a Hemba influence.
Both executed altogether fetishes and utilitarian objects for royal ceremonies such as caryatid seats and cups, and bow stands. This duality explains the regular proportions in the body whose geometry is perfectly balanced without being realistic.
The figures are often a woman or a mixed janus. The fetishes are related to spirits whose incorporation into a woman's body is likened to a pregnancy.
The increasingly detailed knowledge of the masterpieces of African art allows to group some figures. The corpus from the Warua Master from the Luba ethnic group includes altogether four bow stands, two stools and three statuettes. One of them was given in 1902 or 1903 to an explorer by the chief of a village on the Luvua river in Congo.
The Warua Master is probably one artist because of the similarity of the faces in the works collected under that name which is no more than a bad old phonetic for Luba or Baluba.
On July 9, 2015, Christie's sold for £ 6.1M from a lower estimate of £ 1.5M one of the four bow stands, lot 110. The female figure with pointed breasts has a striking resemblance with the male statuette discussed above with regard to the attitude, the proportions in the body, the shape of the head and the facial lines. Perched on a small pedestal, she wears on her head a carved trident that can hold the bows. The total height of this piece is 64 cm.
The other leading Luba artist is the Buli Master.
The continuous movement of the tribes has a consequence that African art is not local but mixed with neighboring influences. The two leading artists whose figuration is very different have also a Hemba influence.
Both executed altogether fetishes and utilitarian objects for royal ceremonies such as caryatid seats and cups, and bow stands. This duality explains the regular proportions in the body whose geometry is perfectly balanced without being realistic.
The figures are often a woman or a mixed janus. The fetishes are related to spirits whose incorporation into a woman's body is likened to a pregnancy.
The increasingly detailed knowledge of the masterpieces of African art allows to group some figures. The corpus from the Warua Master from the Luba ethnic group includes altogether four bow stands, two stools and three statuettes. One of them was given in 1902 or 1903 to an explorer by the chief of a village on the Luvua river in Congo.
The Warua Master is probably one artist because of the similarity of the faces in the works collected under that name which is no more than a bad old phonetic for Luba or Baluba.
On July 9, 2015, Christie's sold for £ 6.1M from a lower estimate of £ 1.5M one of the four bow stands, lot 110. The female figure with pointed breasts has a striking resemblance with the male statuette discussed above with regard to the attitude, the proportions in the body, the shape of the head and the facial lines. Perched on a small pedestal, she wears on her head a carved trident that can hold the bows. The total height of this piece is 64 cm.
The other leading Luba artist is the Buli Master.
Last night this Luba figure sold for £6,130,50, the highest price for a work of African art at auction in the UK. pic.twitter.com/anPH0wpvV1
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 10, 20153
Male Figure by the Warua Master
2015 SOLD for $ 3.6M by Sotheby's
A very rare Luba male figure made by the Warua Master, 42 cm high, was sold for $ 3.6M by Sotheby's on May 15, 2015, lot 107.
Although this specific artwork has no functional use, the geometric regularity and the beauty of shapes was guided by the utilitarian role of other artefacts created by the same hand.
Although this specific artwork has no functional use, the geometric regularity and the beauty of shapes was guided by the utilitarian role of other artefacts created by the same hand.
#AuctionUpdate: Luba Male Statue by the Warua Master fetches $3.6m in the NY African, Oceanic, and Pre-Col sale pic.twitter.com/0pEqXt5435
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 15, 20154
Caryatid Seat by the Master of Buli
2010 SOLD for € 5.4M by Sotheby's
A highly distinctive style of wooden sculpture was executed by the Luba in the Congo village of Buli and vicinity, in the borderline of the Hemba territories. This corpus includes about 20 works : cup holders, heads and statuettes of ancestors, caryatid seats and one headrest. Luba and hemba influences are more or less mingled.
The elusive Master of Buli may in fact apply to two or three different artists, subsequently or in a workshop. A beautifully carved one-caryatid stool was sold for € 5.4M by Sotheby's on November 30, 2010, lot 97. It is 51 cm high and 31 cm in diameter. The ochre wood keeps traces of an ancient patina.
The stool once served as ceremonial object most likely used by the council of elders when they presided over court cases in the Luba kingdom. It had been acquired in 1896 by Harry Bombeeck, a Belgian executive in the then EIC (Etat Indépendant du Congo) and kept in his family up to the Sotheby's auction.
It is one of the finest Buli achievements through its exquisite carving, especially to the oversized head and highly typed hemba face, and by the care on the details of the forward leaning torso, the inclined open palms, the four fingers posed delicately on the seat and the outspread thumb touching the luba quadrilobed headdress.
Another Congolese style, with a corpus of about 18 works, is identified as Le Maître de la Coiffure en Cascade. It also includes headrests, used by high ranked Luba women to sleep on its 17 cm high rest for preserving their spectacular and cumbersome hairstyle. One of them with an attitude of friendly conversation of two caryatids was sold for € 2.3M on December 15, 2016 by Millon, lot 40.
The elusive Master of Buli may in fact apply to two or three different artists, subsequently or in a workshop. A beautifully carved one-caryatid stool was sold for € 5.4M by Sotheby's on November 30, 2010, lot 97. It is 51 cm high and 31 cm in diameter. The ochre wood keeps traces of an ancient patina.
The stool once served as ceremonial object most likely used by the council of elders when they presided over court cases in the Luba kingdom. It had been acquired in 1896 by Harry Bombeeck, a Belgian executive in the then EIC (Etat Indépendant du Congo) and kept in his family up to the Sotheby's auction.
It is one of the finest Buli achievements through its exquisite carving, especially to the oversized head and highly typed hemba face, and by the care on the details of the forward leaning torso, the inclined open palms, the four fingers posed delicately on the seat and the outspread thumb touching the luba quadrilobed headdress.
Another Congolese style, with a corpus of about 18 works, is identified as Le Maître de la Coiffure en Cascade. It also includes headrests, used by high ranked Luba women to sleep on its 17 cm high rest for preserving their spectacular and cumbersome hairstyle. One of them with an attitude of friendly conversation of two caryatids was sold for € 2.3M on December 15, 2016 by Millon, lot 40.
Kongo Nail Fetish
2024 SOLD for € 9M by Christie's
A n'kondi, meaning hunter, is a fetish with a powerful anthropomorphic body and face. The nkisi n'kondi variant is covered with nails arranged around a ball of magic medicine. It was made by the Kongo Yombe ethnic group in the Congo region in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
That incarnation of the spirit of the dead provides a peaceful power, protecting the tribe against evil spirits and diseases. Nails are not intended to protect the figure but to implement the peace agreements between tribal groups. The right arm is raised for holding a spear.
The nkisi n'kindi from the Barbier-Mueller collection had been collected before 1914. It is 96 cm high, with protruding nails. The huge mouth is screaming within an otherwise realistically carved face. The attitude is considered as royal by specialists. It was sold for € 9M by Christie's on March 6, 2024, lot 45.
The 95 cm high example formerly in the Vérité collection was sold for € 730K by Christie's on June 27, 2018, lot 92. The head is pierced to keep the medicine, in addition to two reliquaries amidst the nails embedded in a coating on the belly.
The 87 cm high example from the Yoyotte collection was sold for € 1.96M by Christie's on June 29, 2022, lot 3. The nails are protruding.
In all the above examples, the spear was omitted or is missing.
That incarnation of the spirit of the dead provides a peaceful power, protecting the tribe against evil spirits and diseases. Nails are not intended to protect the figure but to implement the peace agreements between tribal groups. The right arm is raised for holding a spear.
The nkisi n'kindi from the Barbier-Mueller collection had been collected before 1914. It is 96 cm high, with protruding nails. The huge mouth is screaming within an otherwise realistically carved face. The attitude is considered as royal by specialists. It was sold for € 9M by Christie's on March 6, 2024, lot 45.
The 95 cm high example formerly in the Vérité collection was sold for € 730K by Christie's on June 27, 2018, lot 92. The head is pierced to keep the medicine, in addition to two reliquaries amidst the nails embedded in a coating on the belly.
The 87 cm high example from the Yoyotte collection was sold for € 1.96M by Christie's on June 29, 2022, lot 3. The nails are protruding.
In all the above examples, the spear was omitted or is missing.
Kongo-Yombe Maternity
2014 SOLD for $ 3.5M by Sotheby's
Before the exploration of the African coast by the Portuguese, the Kingdom of Kongo was one of the most powerful on that continent. The slave trade and the political division of the territory of the Congo terminated that brilliant civilization.
Maternity statuary is a specialty of the Yombe ethnic group from Kongo. They are designed on a theme known as phemba or pfemba. The mother is cross legged, kneeling or crouching on a base, in a very straight stance. Wearing a loincloth and a cap, she protects the infant without looking at him. The mirrored glass eyes and the raised chin are offering an expression of mystical expectation in connection with the supernatural world. In some figures the infant is dead.
The Yombe art is also known for its nail fetishes. Without any metal, carved ornaments shaped as nail heads completely cover the shoulders and the back of the mother.
A Kongo-Yombe maternity figure was collected in the Mayumbe territory of western Congo in 1938-1939. The diminutive infant is sitting on the left foot of the crouching mother who protects him with a hand on the back of his head. She does not look at him. Her eyes are closed and her mouth opened in a mystical ecstasy.
This figure 28 cm high was sold by Sotheby's for $ 1.87M on May 13, 2011, lot 37 in the sale of the Rubin collection, and for $ 3.5M on November 11, 2014, lot 95.
On May 7, 2016, Sotheby's sold for $ 3.25M a Kongo-Yombe figure of maternity 27 cm high, lot 5. The artist is known by a homogeneous corpus of figures and masks. Two works collected in a village between 1911 and 1913 made identify him later as the Master of Kasadi. A mask had been documented in 1898.
The Kongo society is matriarchal. The artist specializes in the nganga diphamba showing the ecstasy of the primordial mother Mpemba. The carving shows in a great sharpness the bodily scarification and the jewelry.
The infant is lying on the lap of his mother in a delicate gesture of both her hands. His attitude is alive : the mystery of procreation is humanized by the lovely gesture of the baby catching the nipple.
Maternity statuary is a specialty of the Yombe ethnic group from Kongo. They are designed on a theme known as phemba or pfemba. The mother is cross legged, kneeling or crouching on a base, in a very straight stance. Wearing a loincloth and a cap, she protects the infant without looking at him. The mirrored glass eyes and the raised chin are offering an expression of mystical expectation in connection with the supernatural world. In some figures the infant is dead.
The Yombe art is also known for its nail fetishes. Without any metal, carved ornaments shaped as nail heads completely cover the shoulders and the back of the mother.
A Kongo-Yombe maternity figure was collected in the Mayumbe territory of western Congo in 1938-1939. The diminutive infant is sitting on the left foot of the crouching mother who protects him with a hand on the back of his head. She does not look at him. Her eyes are closed and her mouth opened in a mystical ecstasy.
This figure 28 cm high was sold by Sotheby's for $ 1.87M on May 13, 2011, lot 37 in the sale of the Rubin collection, and for $ 3.5M on November 11, 2014, lot 95.
On May 7, 2016, Sotheby's sold for $ 3.25M a Kongo-Yombe figure of maternity 27 cm high, lot 5. The artist is known by a homogeneous corpus of figures and masks. Two works collected in a village between 1911 and 1913 made identify him later as the Master of Kasadi. A mask had been documented in 1898.
The Kongo society is matriarchal. The artist specializes in the nganga diphamba showing the ecstasy of the primordial mother Mpemba. The carving shows in a great sharpness the bodily scarification and the jewelry.
The infant is lying on the lap of his mother in a delicate gesture of both her hands. His attitude is alive : the mystery of procreation is humanized by the lovely gesture of the baby catching the nipple.
Mahongwe Mask
2024 SOLD for € 4.15M by Christie's
The Mahongwé are a subgroup of the Kota, living on the border between Gabon and Congo. On Gabon side, their reliquary figures are highly stylized, with eyes and nose tightly centered in a large arched shovel-shaped flat figure. An exemple was sold for $ 1.4M by Sotheby's on June 30, 2020, lot 15.
In 1939 the Museum of Modern Art curator James Johnson Sweeney looks for parallels between modern and tribal art. He acquires from Charles Ratton at the World Fair a one-off mask with audacious elongated lines and a beautiful asymmetry of the scars. Certainly based on an information from the discoverer, Ratton had noted an origin from Etoumbi, a Mahongwé village on Congo side.
The MoMA also owns Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon, raising the legend that this mask had been Picasso's model for one of the demoiselles. That story was wrong because the mask had not surfaced before 1930, 23 years after Picasso's visit to the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, but the legend was firmly maintained.
In 1984 the curator William Rubin was preparing the groundbreaking MoMA exhibition titled Primitivism. The chance affinity of forms between the mask and the demoiselle was again staged while Rubin confirmed that Picasso could not have seen the mask in period.
The mask was acquired by the Barbier-Muellers during the exhibition. It was sold for € 4.15M by Christie's on March 6, 2024, lot 76.
In 1939 the Museum of Modern Art curator James Johnson Sweeney looks for parallels between modern and tribal art. He acquires from Charles Ratton at the World Fair a one-off mask with audacious elongated lines and a beautiful asymmetry of the scars. Certainly based on an information from the discoverer, Ratton had noted an origin from Etoumbi, a Mahongwé village on Congo side.
The MoMA also owns Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon, raising the legend that this mask had been Picasso's model for one of the demoiselles. That story was wrong because the mask had not surfaced before 1930, 23 years after Picasso's visit to the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, but the legend was firmly maintained.
In 1984 the curator William Rubin was preparing the groundbreaking MoMA exhibition titled Primitivism. The chance affinity of forms between the mask and the demoiselle was again staged while Rubin confirmed that Picasso could not have seen the mask in period.
The mask was acquired by the Barbier-Muellers during the exhibition. It was sold for € 4.15M by Christie's on March 6, 2024, lot 76.
Christie's @ChristiesInc @christiesparis SOLD for € 4.15M the #BarbierMueller #Mahongwe maskhttps://t.co/jsIQIMnQcL
— ArtHitParade (@ArtHitParade) March 6, 2024
to be soon narrated in the top 10 of Mask and #Congo https://t.co/oqPQ5GS8Knhttps://t.co/TSDSLITN8b
Songye Mask
2019 SOLD for $ 4.2M by Christie's
Against the dangers of the rainforest, several groups maintained secret societies with a dual role : to terrorize the malicious and to communicate with the ancestors. There is in Gabon the Ngil of the Fang and in Mali the Bambara ethnic group.
For the Songye of Congo, this activity is entrusted to the Bifwebe. This word is the plural of Kifwebe. The Kifwebe man wears a complete disguise that turns him into an overpowering creature. From his human origin, he keeps the standing position. He speaks with a strange falsetto voice and roars like a lion.
The Bifwebe masks are adorned with a pattern of undulating lines which does not imitate the zebra absent in this region but rather an antelope. The nose and mouth have intimidating shapes that evoke the snout of the crocodile and the thorns of the porcupine.
Female masks also exist but for other uses. The Songye believe that it is the reincarnation of an ancestor that gives life to the fetus. The Kifwebe woman wears the mask to facilitate the reception of the ancestor in her belly, and also in some applications of the Lunar rituals.
These rare female masks do not have the severity of their male counterparts. One of them, described before 1930 in the Walschot collection, is a masterpiece of African art by the vitality of the waves of the face, in a pure white of kaolin contrasting over the dark skin. This specimen probably directly inspired Calder and the entwined zebras by Vasarely. It was sold for $ 4.2M by Christie's on May 14, 2019, lot 8.
For the Songye of Congo, this activity is entrusted to the Bifwebe. This word is the plural of Kifwebe. The Kifwebe man wears a complete disguise that turns him into an overpowering creature. From his human origin, he keeps the standing position. He speaks with a strange falsetto voice and roars like a lion.
The Bifwebe masks are adorned with a pattern of undulating lines which does not imitate the zebra absent in this region but rather an antelope. The nose and mouth have intimidating shapes that evoke the snout of the crocodile and the thorns of the porcupine.
Female masks also exist but for other uses. The Songye believe that it is the reincarnation of an ancestor that gives life to the fetus. The Kifwebe woman wears the mask to facilitate the reception of the ancestor in her belly, and also in some applications of the Lunar rituals.
These rare female masks do not have the severity of their male counterparts. One of them, described before 1930 in the Walschot collection, is a masterpiece of African art by the vitality of the waves of the face, in a pure white of kaolin contrasting over the dark skin. This specimen probably directly inspired Calder and the entwined zebras by Vasarely. It was sold for $ 4.2M by Christie's on May 14, 2019, lot 8.
Lega Mask
2016 SOLD for € 3.7M by Sotheby's
The Lega ethnic group (sometimes called Warega) of Congo was divided into several clan communities which recruited their members through an initiatory process. Masks were worn during the ceremonies. They were made of wood, bone, stone, resin or ivory.
Among these materials, ivory is the most important. An ivory mask is representing the founder of the community and the number of past generations from him is known by the group. Such a mask is exhibited and never worn : it is indeed a work of art in the Western meaning of that wording. It is unique for a community and therefore it is extremely rare.
The Lega tribe is certainly the one that has best mastered the art of ivory. In addition to the full scale mask, many small replicas that may be called masquettes were produced for the need of the initiatory liturgy. These masquettes were held in the palm of the hand.
In the 1930s, the Lega ivory masks marveled in due course the pioneering connoisseurs who were exploring the depth and variety of African arts. One of these masks, abundantly exhibited, described and photographed at that time, has just resurfaced. It was sold for € 3.7M from a lower estimate of € 1M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2016, lot 41. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The quality of the patina had been identified but the piece had been only photographed in black and white. Its rediscovery confirms that this is a masterpiece : amateurs highly appreciate the figures in good condition that provide the evidence of an intense tribal use.
Its deep patina in a superb color mixing brown, red and orange was performed by a repetitive anointing with pigmented oils. This organic layer had a magical role. This specimen bears the trace of withdrawals that had been taken for therapeutic purposes in an interesting case of the intervention of the ancestor for a real assistance to the new follower.
Among these materials, ivory is the most important. An ivory mask is representing the founder of the community and the number of past generations from him is known by the group. Such a mask is exhibited and never worn : it is indeed a work of art in the Western meaning of that wording. It is unique for a community and therefore it is extremely rare.
The Lega tribe is certainly the one that has best mastered the art of ivory. In addition to the full scale mask, many small replicas that may be called masquettes were produced for the need of the initiatory liturgy. These masquettes were held in the palm of the hand.
In the 1930s, the Lega ivory masks marveled in due course the pioneering connoisseurs who were exploring the depth and variety of African arts. One of these masks, abundantly exhibited, described and photographed at that time, has just resurfaced. It was sold for € 3.7M from a lower estimate of € 1M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2016, lot 41. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The quality of the patina had been identified but the piece had been only photographed in black and white. Its rediscovery confirms that this is a masterpiece : amateurs highly appreciate the figures in good condition that provide the evidence of an intense tribal use.
Its deep patina in a superb color mixing brown, red and orange was performed by a repetitive anointing with pigmented oils. This organic layer had a magical role. This specimen bears the trace of withdrawals that had been taken for therapeutic purposes in an interesting case of the intervention of the ancestor for a real assistance to the new follower.
Exceptionally rare Lega mask from Congo, part of auction @SothebysFr #Paris on 22 June https://t.co/hFqP1uAEWU pic.twitter.com/u18IsWWbtk
— SHOW ON SHOW (@SHOWONSHOW) April 29, 2016
Ngbaka Ancestor
2014 SOLD for $ 4.1M by Sotheby's
The Ngbaka group is a population in the western Ubangi area in Congo. Beside their Supreme Being, the Great Spirit operated the genesis. The primordial ancestors were Seto and his sister-wife Nabo.
A very tall and handsome man living in the forest, Seto protects the mankind against the Great Spirit. His figures, defined through the scarifications, had a ritual use beside Nabo's in the family altars, despite that these shrines did not include figures of actual people and ancestors. In the night Seto is still present in the Orion constellation.
A very fine 48 cm wood statue of Seto with metal ear and neck rings was sold by Sotheby's for $ 1.26M on May 15, 2009, lot 67. This archaic pre-contact statuette has a multi-layered patina crust attesting for many decades of ritual use. It is mounted on a base by Kichizo Inagaki.
Its prestigious collector's provenance was retrieved later. Owned in Paris by Georges de Miré who had started his pioneering collection of African art in the late 1910s, it was acquired by Charles Ratton at the bankruptcy auction of the De Miré collection in 1933 and was exhibited by Pierre Matisse in New York two years later.
Back to Sotheby's with that additional information, it was sold for $ 4.1M on November 11, 2014, lot 119.
A very tall and handsome man living in the forest, Seto protects the mankind against the Great Spirit. His figures, defined through the scarifications, had a ritual use beside Nabo's in the family altars, despite that these shrines did not include figures of actual people and ancestors. In the night Seto is still present in the Orion constellation.
A very fine 48 cm wood statue of Seto with metal ear and neck rings was sold by Sotheby's for $ 1.26M on May 15, 2009, lot 67. This archaic pre-contact statuette has a multi-layered patina crust attesting for many decades of ritual use. It is mounted on a base by Kichizo Inagaki.
Its prestigious collector's provenance was retrieved later. Owned in Paris by Georges de Miré who had started his pioneering collection of African art in the late 1910s, it was acquired by Charles Ratton at the bankruptcy auction of the De Miré collection in 1933 and was exhibited by Pierre Matisse in New York two years later.
Back to Sotheby's with that additional information, it was sold for $ 4.1M on November 11, 2014, lot 119.
