Congo
Luba 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.
1902-1903 Luba Bow Stand
2015 SOLD for £ 6.1M by Christie's
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 these pieces has a history of collection. It was given in 1902 or 1903 to an explorer by the chief of a village on the Luvua river in Congo.
The only male figure in this set is a statuette 42 cm high, sold for $ 3.6 million including premium by Sotheby's on May 15, 2015. Although this specific artwork has no functional use, I noted that the geometric regularity and the beauty of shapes was guided by the utilitarian role of other artefacts created by the same hand.
On July 9 in London, Christie's sells one of the four bow stands, lot 110 estimated £ 1.5M.
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.
One of these pieces has a history of collection. It was given in 1902 or 1903 to an explorer by the chief of a village on the Luvua river in Congo.
The only male figure in this set is a statuette 42 cm high, sold for $ 3.6 million including premium by Sotheby's on May 15, 2015. Although this specific artwork has no functional use, I noted that the geometric regularity and the beauty of shapes was guided by the utilitarian role of other artefacts created by the same hand.
On July 9 in London, Christie's sells one of the four bow stands, lot 110 estimated £ 1.5M.
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.
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, 2015The Masters of the Luba Empire
2015 SOLD for $ 3.6M including premium
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 major 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 traditions of hermaphrodite figures were probably already abandoned at the time of the two masters.
The Buli Master may in fact apply to two or three different or subsequent artists. A beautifully carved caryatid seat was sold for € 5.4 million including premium by Sotheby's on 30 November 2010.
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.
A very rare Luba male figure made by the Warua Master, 42 cm high, is estimated $ 3M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 15, lot 107.
The continuous movement of the tribes has a consequence that African art is not local but mixed with neighboring influences. The two major 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 traditions of hermaphrodite figures were probably already abandoned at the time of the two masters.
The Buli Master may in fact apply to two or three different or subsequent artists. A beautifully carved caryatid seat was sold for € 5.4 million including premium by Sotheby's on 30 November 2010.
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.
A very rare Luba male figure made by the Warua Master, 42 cm high, is estimated $ 3M for sale by Sotheby's in New York on May 15, lot 107.
#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, 2015ca 1900 Luba Headrest
2016 SOLD for € 2.3M by Millon
The bun of the elite women of the Luba-Shankadi ethnic group in Congo was a fashion that lasted several decades around 1900. It took about fifty hours to realize this spectacular and cumbersome hairstyle made of several wings of gradual dimensions.
To maintain this hairstyle during two or three months, the Luba woman slept with a headrest. The artists of the village carved neck supports. These small pieces of furnishing are the exceptional example of a type of object that reaches the peaks of African tribal creativity without being mystical.
The slightly curved wooden cushion is positioned 17 cm high, linked to the base through one or two caryatid figures bearing the double bun. The specialists recognize six iconographic variants grouped in two styles that are the work of two different artists identified together as the Maître de la Coiffure en Cascade.
By its functionality this object had to be robust without being heavy. The Maître obtained a pleasant balance between matter and emptiness in both cases of a central or dual caryatid. It is along with the stools a rare example of an African tribal design that incorporates void.
The artists are identified by the generic name of Master of the Cascade Coiffure. One of them, the most prolific and the most talented, is known by 12 single caryatid and 4 double caryatid headrests. The first example was collected in 1901.
The dual, known in four examples, consists of two figures seated face to face. The arms stretched between the two characters bring a feeling of great sympathy while forming an elegant entretoise.
One of these headrests was sold for € 1,35M by Sotheby's on June 6, 2005.
Another example with an attitude of friendly conversation of the caryatids was sold for € 2.3M on December 15, 2016 by Millon in cooperation with Christie's. lot 40. Charles Ratton had presented it to his wife who kept it for half a century.
On December 12, 2018, Sotheby's sold for € 1.75M as lot 141 a prestigious specimen by the same artist, used as a model in 1964 for the first publication describing the series. Its patina demonstrates a prolonged use.
This example of single caryatid has a beautiful asymmetry of the seated figure with one knee raised and the other leg bent backwards. It also includes one of the rarest features among this corpus : the hands hold a big pipe, alluding to the narcotic that offers sweet dreams to the sleeping woman.
To maintain this hairstyle during two or three months, the Luba woman slept with a headrest. The artists of the village carved neck supports. These small pieces of furnishing are the exceptional example of a type of object that reaches the peaks of African tribal creativity without being mystical.
The slightly curved wooden cushion is positioned 17 cm high, linked to the base through one or two caryatid figures bearing the double bun. The specialists recognize six iconographic variants grouped in two styles that are the work of two different artists identified together as the Maître de la Coiffure en Cascade.
By its functionality this object had to be robust without being heavy. The Maître obtained a pleasant balance between matter and emptiness in both cases of a central or dual caryatid. It is along with the stools a rare example of an African tribal design that incorporates void.
The artists are identified by the generic name of Master of the Cascade Coiffure. One of them, the most prolific and the most talented, is known by 12 single caryatid and 4 double caryatid headrests. The first example was collected in 1901.
The dual, known in four examples, consists of two figures seated face to face. The arms stretched between the two characters bring a feeling of great sympathy while forming an elegant entretoise.
One of these headrests was sold for € 1,35M by Sotheby's on June 6, 2005.
Another example with an attitude of friendly conversation of the caryatids was sold for € 2.3M on December 15, 2016 by Millon in cooperation with Christie's. lot 40. Charles Ratton had presented it to his wife who kept it for half a century.
On December 12, 2018, Sotheby's sold for € 1.75M as lot 141 a prestigious specimen by the same artist, used as a model in 1964 for the first publication describing the series. Its patina demonstrates a prolonged use.
This example of single caryatid has a beautiful asymmetry of the seated figure with one knee raised and the other leg bent backwards. It also includes one of the rarest features among this corpus : the hands hold a big pipe, alluding to the narcotic that offers sweet dreams to the sleeping woman.
Our specialist introduces an object carved by one of the most important African artists of the 19th century https://t.co/38MMUBJUmG pic.twitter.com/ZGgIzSzbgo
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) December 8, 2016
Beauty of a Luluwa Ancestor
2012 SOLD 2.55 M$ including premium
On May 11 in New York, Sotheby's sells a masterpiece of African tribal art, which had been for half a century the highlight of an outstanding private collection.
It is a mask larger than life, 35 cm high, showing a figure with benevolent closed eyes. The globular forehead, the facial symmetry and the sharp scarification attest that this piece was created to symbolize the beauty. It must be perfect to attract the gentle spirits of the ancestors.
Created by the Luluwa people, neighbor of the Luba in Congo, the mask had many uses. For dance, it was probably worn at shoulder height: the vision holes are below the eyes of the mask. A specific wear at the top of the head indicates that it also served as a receptacle for sacred substances.
It is estimated to be around two centuries old. The good preservation of the wood shows that this piece was handled with care, despite an intensive use attested by many small native repairs.
This figure limited to the head can obviously not be stated as hermaphrodite, but it is perhaps no coincidence that the experts are unable to decide whether it is a woman or a man.
This mask is estimated $ 1.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
African art collectors like pieces which are old, beautiful, mysterious and in good condition. This one had all these qualities: $ 2.55 million including premium.
It is a mask larger than life, 35 cm high, showing a figure with benevolent closed eyes. The globular forehead, the facial symmetry and the sharp scarification attest that this piece was created to symbolize the beauty. It must be perfect to attract the gentle spirits of the ancestors.
Created by the Luluwa people, neighbor of the Luba in Congo, the mask had many uses. For dance, it was probably worn at shoulder height: the vision holes are below the eyes of the mask. A specific wear at the top of the head indicates that it also served as a receptacle for sacred substances.
It is estimated to be around two centuries old. The good preservation of the wood shows that this piece was handled with care, despite an intensive use attested by many small native repairs.
This figure limited to the head can obviously not be stated as hermaphrodite, but it is perhaps no coincidence that the experts are unable to decide whether it is a woman or a man.
This mask is estimated $ 1.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
African art collectors like pieces which are old, beautiful, mysterious and in good condition. This one had all these qualities: $ 2.55 million including premium.
ca 1900 The Nkundu Giant
2012 SOLD 2.7 M€ including premium
The Nkundus from Congo use coffins or sarcophagi, which may become reliquaries if they are not buried. At the end of the nineteenth century, this practice takes a surprising artistic trend.
The sculptor hollows a trunk to receive the body of the deceased, and carves in extension the head on one side, the legs and sex on the other side. The arms are parallel to the body, but one of the forearms is raised to brandish a formidable knife with a curved blade. Teeth ready to bite enhance the aggressiveness necessary to protect the content.
A specimen that has retained its polychromy (without the lid to close the back) is estimated € 2M, for sale by Christie's in Paris on December 11.
The anthropomorphic ends have generated the figure of a tapered giant, for a total height of 2.54 m. A coffin is designed to be buried in the horizontal position. A standing exhibition, with the machete forward, provides to this artwork a wild, almost totemic, look.
Experts believe that this specimen was made after 1890 (but before 1909) by comparison with two other examples collected in 1891. It certainly spent little time in the equatorial bush. The analyzes did not detect an actual mortuary use.
POST SALE COMMENT
I admit that I was skeptical about this lot because of its low magic features. The artistic side prevailed. It was very well sold, at € 2.7 million including premium.
The sculptor hollows a trunk to receive the body of the deceased, and carves in extension the head on one side, the legs and sex on the other side. The arms are parallel to the body, but one of the forearms is raised to brandish a formidable knife with a curved blade. Teeth ready to bite enhance the aggressiveness necessary to protect the content.
A specimen that has retained its polychromy (without the lid to close the back) is estimated € 2M, for sale by Christie's in Paris on December 11.
The anthropomorphic ends have generated the figure of a tapered giant, for a total height of 2.54 m. A coffin is designed to be buried in the horizontal position. A standing exhibition, with the machete forward, provides to this artwork a wild, almost totemic, look.
Experts believe that this specimen was made after 1890 (but before 1909) by comparison with two other examples collected in 1891. It certainly spent little time in the equatorial bush. The analyzes did not detect an actual mortuary use.
POST SALE COMMENT
I admit that I was skeptical about this lot because of its low magic features. The artistic side prevailed. It was very well sold, at € 2.7 million including premium.
< 1911 Kongo Maternity
2016 SOLD for $ 3.3M including premium
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 have ended a brilliant civilization.
On May 7 in New York, Sotheby's sells a Kongo-Yombe figure of maternity 27 cm high, lot 5 estimated $ 2M. The artist is known by a homogeneous corpus of figures and masks. His work can not be dated precisely. A statuette collected in a village between 1911 and 1913 made attribute to him the name of Master of Kasadi.
The Kongo society is matriarchal. The artist specializes in the nganga diphamba showing the ecstasy of the primordial mother Mpemba in connection with the supernatural world. The carving shows in a great sharpness the bodily scarification and the jewelry.
The infant is lying on the lap of his mother holding him in a delicate gesture of both hands. He is alive : the mystery of procreation is softened by the lovely gesture of the child catching the nipple.
Maternity is a favorite theme of art in most civilizations. This nice statuette is a fine African example.
On May 7 in New York, Sotheby's sells a Kongo-Yombe figure of maternity 27 cm high, lot 5 estimated $ 2M. The artist is known by a homogeneous corpus of figures and masks. His work can not be dated precisely. A statuette collected in a village between 1911 and 1913 made attribute to him the name of Master of Kasadi.
The Kongo society is matriarchal. The artist specializes in the nganga diphamba showing the ecstasy of the primordial mother Mpemba in connection with the supernatural world. The carving shows in a great sharpness the bodily scarification and the jewelry.
The infant is lying on the lap of his mother holding him in a delicate gesture of both hands. He is alive : the mystery of procreation is softened by the lovely gesture of the child catching the nipple.
Maternity is a favorite theme of art in most civilizations. This nice statuette is a fine African example.
African Art from the collection of Drs. Daniel & Marian Malcolm are coming to Sotheby's in #NY & #Paris this spring! pic.twitter.com/9GTCEW5L9t
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) January 27, 2016
<< 1930 A Mask for the Reincarnation
2019 SOLD for $ 4.2M including premium
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 will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 14, 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 will be sold by Christie's in New York on May 14, lot 8.
exhibited 1930s - The Lega Initiation Mask
2016 SOLD for € 3.7M including premium
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 is estimated € 1M for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 22, lot 41.
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.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
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 is estimated € 1M for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 22, lot 41.
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.
Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
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
collected 1976 - Dances with Buffaloes
2018 SOLD for € 2.9M including premium
In 1976 in a village in southeastern Congo near Lake Tanganyika, an art dealer buys directly from the Tabwa tribal group an extremely rare helmet mask. The only other known example in full head helmet including the whole hairstyle is less decorated. According to the Tabwa tradition this dance mask is a female presence with a strong sexual connotation. It is not so simple.
The Tabwa practiced fertility dances of couples in which the man wore a buffalo mask. These male masks are less rare. From their neighbors the Luba a man faced mask with buffalo horns is known.
The mask collected in 1976 is very finely incised with realistic details and embellished with inclusions of white shells in eyes and nose. The three lines of scarification of the face respond to the beauty practice of men and women from the Tabwa elites, attested by old photos. The very fine braided pattern of the hairstyle also responds to the fashion of their tribal ritual. Tabwa women used a headrest for sleeping without damaging a new hairstyle.
The feminine characterization of this mask is confirmed by the jewel in the left nostril, an Arab-Indian tradition that came through present-day Tanzania, and by the earrings. By adding the usual practice of a ritual mask, the young woman was hiding her personal beauty within the perfect figure of an ancestor that made her even more desirable. She also had to drink the sap of the medicinal tree that produced the wood of her mask.
This mask whose patina demonstrates a long ritual use will be sold by Christie's in Paris on April 10, lot 91.
The Tabwa practiced fertility dances of couples in which the man wore a buffalo mask. These male masks are less rare. From their neighbors the Luba a man faced mask with buffalo horns is known.
The mask collected in 1976 is very finely incised with realistic details and embellished with inclusions of white shells in eyes and nose. The three lines of scarification of the face respond to the beauty practice of men and women from the Tabwa elites, attested by old photos. The very fine braided pattern of the hairstyle also responds to the fashion of their tribal ritual. Tabwa women used a headrest for sleeping without damaging a new hairstyle.
The feminine characterization of this mask is confirmed by the jewel in the left nostril, an Arab-Indian tradition that came through present-day Tanzania, and by the earrings. By adding the usual practice of a ritual mask, the young woman was hiding her personal beauty within the perfect figure of an ancestor that made her even more desirable. She also had to drink the sap of the medicinal tree that produced the wood of her mask.
This mask whose patina demonstrates a long ritual use will be sold by Christie's in Paris on April 10, lot 91.
