Tropical Africa
1575-1625 Benin Head of an Oba
2007 SOLD for $ 4.7M including premium by Sotheby's
narrated in 2017 before the sale of another figure by Sotheby's (see below)
By an ambitious policy of conquest, the Edo ethnic group created 550 years ago a very powerful empire centered on a one-of-a-kind capital named Benin in present-day Nigeria. The king better known as the Oba attributes to himself divine powers which for several centuries ensure the stability of the regime and of the art that adorns the palace. Horrified by the practice of human sacrifices, the British destroyed Benin in 1897 and disseminated its art.
The so-called bronze of Benin is actually an alloy closer to a brass using a technique of lost-wax casting developed before any contact with Europeans. It is divided into two very different styles of works, the plaques that commemorate events or dignitaries and the heads in the round of the Oba kings. It is helpful to study these two categories together to establish the chronology of this art.
The heads are not portraits but ideal figurations of the previous Oba kings of the reigning dynasty. These figures are dedicated to devotion as altarpieces.
Philip Dark describes five overlapping phases along with more detailed groups. The 24 cm high Oba head sold as lot 121 on May 17, 2007 by Sotheby's for $ 4.7M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 1M is a Type 3 Group 2A created between 1575 and 1625 CE.
On December 12, 2017, Sotheby's sold for € 1.87M including premium a Type 4 head of Oba 32 cm high. Compared to the head in the previous sale, power symbols and mystic symbols appear in high relief on the headdress and on the base added for that purpose. The cylindrical collar that rises up to the lips is composed of 33 rings of metal pearls compared to the 22 rings of the other head.
The so-called bronze of Benin is actually an alloy closer to a brass using a technique of lost-wax casting developed before any contact with Europeans. It is divided into two very different styles of works, the plaques that commemorate events or dignitaries and the heads in the round of the Oba kings. It is helpful to study these two categories together to establish the chronology of this art.
The heads are not portraits but ideal figurations of the previous Oba kings of the reigning dynasty. These figures are dedicated to devotion as altarpieces.
Philip Dark describes five overlapping phases along with more detailed groups. The 24 cm high Oba head sold as lot 121 on May 17, 2007 by Sotheby's for $ 4.7M including premium over a lower estimate of $ 1M is a Type 3 Group 2A created between 1575 and 1625 CE.
On December 12, 2017, Sotheby's sold for € 1.87M including premium a Type 4 head of Oba 32 cm high. Compared to the head in the previous sale, power symbols and mystic symbols appear in high relief on the headdress and on the base added for that purpose. The cylindrical collar that rises up to the lips is composed of 33 rings of metal pearls compared to the 22 rings of the other head.
Fénéon's Arts from Remote Places
2014 SOLD 4.35 M€ including premium
A masterpiece of African tribal art estimated € 2.5 million for sale on June 18 at Sotheby's in Paris revives the amazing and eccentric personality of Félix Fénéon.
An anarchist activist who became an effective art critic, Fénéon was the discoverer of Seurat before entering the illusion of the communist ideal with Signac. Refusing social or artistic pre-established solutions, he was one of the first along with Apollinaire to be interested in African art.
In 1920, Fénéon obtains and publishes the opinions of twenty specialists on the topic of relevance or not to consider the primitive arts, named by him Arts Lointains, on the same level as the European masterpieces in the Louvre. This question had a final answer 80 years later when Jacques Kerchache obtained the creation of a specialized section in that Museum.
In 1920, the African standard bearer in Fénéon's collection is a Fang figure 67 cm high of a nude woman in seated position which will also later join the Kerchache collection. Its characteristics differ from other Fang styles by a careful anatomical realism and an active expression. The mouth is open to speak.
It was sculpted after the tribal migrations of the eighteenth century (we do not know exactly when) in a very tiny Fang subgroup, the Mabea of Cameroon, whose artistic output is extremely rare. Only a dozen of their ancestor figures are known. The Fénéon-Kerchache specimen is the last in private hands. It is estimated € 2.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The prestigious African figure was sold for € 4.35M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's :
An anarchist activist who became an effective art critic, Fénéon was the discoverer of Seurat before entering the illusion of the communist ideal with Signac. Refusing social or artistic pre-established solutions, he was one of the first along with Apollinaire to be interested in African art.
In 1920, Fénéon obtains and publishes the opinions of twenty specialists on the topic of relevance or not to consider the primitive arts, named by him Arts Lointains, on the same level as the European masterpieces in the Louvre. This question had a final answer 80 years later when Jacques Kerchache obtained the creation of a specialized section in that Museum.
In 1920, the African standard bearer in Fénéon's collection is a Fang figure 67 cm high of a nude woman in seated position which will also later join the Kerchache collection. Its characteristics differ from other Fang styles by a careful anatomical realism and an active expression. The mouth is open to speak.
It was sculpted after the tribal migrations of the eighteenth century (we do not know exactly when) in a very tiny Fang subgroup, the Mabea of Cameroon, whose artistic output is extremely rare. Only a dozen of their ancestor figures are known. The Fénéon-Kerchache specimen is the last in private hands. It is estimated € 2.5 M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The prestigious African figure was sold for € 4.35M including premium.
I invite you to play the video shared by Sotheby's :
The Eye of the Byeri
2015 SOLD for € 3.8M including premium
The byeri, practiced by the numerous Fang ethnic groups in Gabon and neighboring countries, is not a theology but a cult of the ancestors.
The deceased person had knowledge and wisdom and his death must not interrupt his teaching. The anthropomorphic fetish is the guardian of the reliquary containing the bones. The ancestor is not anonymous but the colonization deleted the oral traditions that applied to him.
The statuette is necessary for the initiation rites. The adolescent drinks a hallucinogenic concoction before spending a whole night in the presence of the figures of the ancestors. In this carefully organized delirium, he understands how he shall behave throughout his adult life.
This figure of the night is in blackened wood. Some Fang tribes add a refinement: large circular eyes in glued and pinned copper or brass have a hypnotizing effect. It is not surprising that the figures of the byeri, quite common, have fascinated the first European connoisseurs in the early twentieth century more than any other category of African tribal art.
On December 3 in Paris, Christie's sells one of the most described pieces, the Guillaume-Fourquet specimen acquired in 1965 by André Fourquet at the auction sale of the Paul Guillaume collection. It is estimated € 2M, lot 76.
This figure 55 cm high has two remarkable features: its black oozing lacquered patina is in very good condition and it still has one of its copper eyes. The loss of both forearms at the elbow can not be an accident or a coincidence. It has probably been voluntarily amputated at the time of its collection to prevent that its magic powers benefit the godless Europeans.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's :
The deceased person had knowledge and wisdom and his death must not interrupt his teaching. The anthropomorphic fetish is the guardian of the reliquary containing the bones. The ancestor is not anonymous but the colonization deleted the oral traditions that applied to him.
The statuette is necessary for the initiation rites. The adolescent drinks a hallucinogenic concoction before spending a whole night in the presence of the figures of the ancestors. In this carefully organized delirium, he understands how he shall behave throughout his adult life.
This figure of the night is in blackened wood. Some Fang tribes add a refinement: large circular eyes in glued and pinned copper or brass have a hypnotizing effect. It is not surprising that the figures of the byeri, quite common, have fascinated the first European connoisseurs in the early twentieth century more than any other category of African tribal art.
On December 3 in Paris, Christie's sells one of the most described pieces, the Guillaume-Fourquet specimen acquired in 1965 by André Fourquet at the auction sale of the Paul Guillaume collection. It is estimated € 2M, lot 76.
This figure 55 cm high has two remarkable features: its black oozing lacquered patina is in very good condition and it still has one of its copper eyes. The loss of both forearms at the elbow can not be an accident or a coincidence. It has probably been voluntarily amputated at the time of its collection to prevent that its magic powers benefit the godless Europeans.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Christie's :
The Art of the Warua Master
2015 SOLD for £ 6.1M including premium
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, 2015Geometry for the Senufo
2014 SOLD for $ 12M including premium
The mythology of the Senufo people in Ivory Coast gives the leading role to the genesis. All human beings have a matrilineal link to the couple of primordial ancestors. The rites are held in every village by an initiatory society, the Poro.
This belief is embodied in statues that are used at both passages, puberty and death, as well as sanctuary ornaments. On November 11 in New York, Sotheby's sells a figure of the divine mother, 92 cm high, lot 48.
The Senufo artist who made this work did not wish to respect the proportions: the torso is very long and narrow and the legs are short, perhaps to be seen from below like a figure of El Greco. Instead, he expressed the mythic power by using geometry. For example, the ears are perfect circles, breasts are cones and eyebrows are a simple horizontal line.
The prominent navel resulting from the loss of the umbilical cord is the link that evokes fertility and creation. The line drawings adorning the bodies of the pubescent women are copied onto the statuette.
The ancient history of this piece is unknown, but comparisons may date its realization in the nineteenth century or early twentieth century. It would be a contemporary to the majestic Senufo primordial couple that was sold for $ 4 million including premium by Sotheby's on November 14, 2008.
This belief is embodied in statues that are used at both passages, puberty and death, as well as sanctuary ornaments. On November 11 in New York, Sotheby's sells a figure of the divine mother, 92 cm high, lot 48.
The Senufo artist who made this work did not wish to respect the proportions: the torso is very long and narrow and the legs are short, perhaps to be seen from below like a figure of El Greco. Instead, he expressed the mythic power by using geometry. For example, the ears are perfect circles, breasts are cones and eyebrows are a simple horizontal line.
The prominent navel resulting from the loss of the umbilical cord is the link that evokes fertility and creation. The line drawings adorning the bodies of the pubescent women are copied onto the statuette.
The ancient history of this piece is unknown, but comparisons may date its realization in the nineteenth century or early twentieth century. It would be a contemporary to the majestic Senufo primordial couple that was sold for $ 4 million including premium by Sotheby's on November 14, 2008.
collected < 1920s Primitivism from De Miré to Rubin
2015 SOLD for € 5.5M including premium
The Kota reliquary figure was used to mark the location of a buried basket containing the relics of the dead. These tribal graveyard ornaments from Gabon have common generic features.
The flat face in leaf shape is more or less stylized. It is placed on a wider oval on which they could hang ear ornaments. The hair is a crest looking like a military helmet and the hollowed diamond shape constituting the body is undoubtedly a symbol of female fertility.
Collected at an unknown date, which is the case for most of these pieces, a Kota figure 66 cm high had highly influenced the art of the twentieth century by the constructivist purity of its face limited to a central ridge between the two eyes positioned halfway up the head.
Its provenance is exceptional.
Its earliest identified owner is Georges de Miré in the 1920s. De Miré was one of very few connoisseurs at that time who knew to see an intrinsic artistic quality within a tribal piece.
Following financial difficulties, De Miré sold his collection at auction in Drouot on 16 December 1931. The Kota was purchased at this sale by Helena Rubinstein.
It was acquired in the early 1980s by William Rubin, the director in New York MoMA and former friend of Picasso who was able to interview the artists to explain the depth of the tribal influence on modern art, becoming the most subtle theorist of primitivism.
This figure is estimated € 6M for sale by Christie's in Paris on June 23, lot 37. The video shared by Christie's to introduce this lot is mostly a tribute to Rubin's exceptional vision.
The flat face in leaf shape is more or less stylized. It is placed on a wider oval on which they could hang ear ornaments. The hair is a crest looking like a military helmet and the hollowed diamond shape constituting the body is undoubtedly a symbol of female fertility.
Collected at an unknown date, which is the case for most of these pieces, a Kota figure 66 cm high had highly influenced the art of the twentieth century by the constructivist purity of its face limited to a central ridge between the two eyes positioned halfway up the head.
Its provenance is exceptional.
Its earliest identified owner is Georges de Miré in the 1920s. De Miré was one of very few connoisseurs at that time who knew to see an intrinsic artistic quality within a tribal piece.
Following financial difficulties, De Miré sold his collection at auction in Drouot on 16 December 1931. The Kota was purchased at this sale by Helena Rubinstein.
It was acquired in the early 1980s by William Rubin, the director in New York MoMA and former friend of Picasso who was able to interview the artists to explain the depth of the tribal influence on modern art, becoming the most subtle theorist of primitivism.
This figure is estimated € 6M for sale by Christie's in Paris on June 23, lot 37. The video shared by Christie's to introduce this lot is mostly a tribute to Rubin's exceptional vision.
collected < 1930s The Baule Duality
2015 SOLD for € 5.4M including premium
The Baule (Baoulé) from Ivory Coast used the abstract concept of duality as a mystical element for understanding the world. The duality takes many forms: man and woman, body and soul, the object and its shadow, the reflection, the confluence, the twins, and even the role of the ego in the community.
The Vérité collection included since the 1930s a double mask, sold for € 1.3 million including premium by Enchères Rive Gauche on 17 June 2006. It is now estimated € 2M for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 24, lot 26.
Unlike the Janus figures, the two faces are side by side. It is a real mask in which only the two central eyes are pierced to be used in that function.
Both heads are identical in shape but differ in the location of scars, in the hair and in the color of the patina that has been partially preserved. It is indeed a male-female duality. The serene and wise attitude of the two heads confirms that the meaning is more philosophical than religious. This is not an emanation of the primordial couple.
A double mask is created by the artist on the occasion of a twin birth, probably as a unique piece that explains its great rarity. Two other examples only are known. A dancer wore this mask in the presence of the real twins during festive celebrations.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
The Vérité collection included since the 1930s a double mask, sold for € 1.3 million including premium by Enchères Rive Gauche on 17 June 2006. It is now estimated € 2M for sale by Sotheby's in Paris on June 24, lot 26.
Unlike the Janus figures, the two faces are side by side. It is a real mask in which only the two central eyes are pierced to be used in that function.
Both heads are identical in shape but differ in the location of scars, in the hair and in the color of the patina that has been partially preserved. It is indeed a male-female duality. The serene and wise attitude of the two heads confirms that the meaning is more philosophical than religious. This is not an emanation of the primordial couple.
A double mask is created by the artist on the occasion of a twin birth, probably as a unique piece that explains its great rarity. Two other examples only are known. A dancer wore this mask in the presence of the real twins during festive celebrations.
I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's :
The Baule Moon
2019 SOLD for € 4.7M including premium
The numerous celebrations of the Baule (Baoulé) ethnic group of Côte d'Ivoire gave rise to the creation of masks in a great variety, used in dances and processions. These masks have significantly influenced the European art. In 1926 Man Ray juxtaposes a black mask with Kiki's white face. In 1937 a buffalo mask inspires the graphic style of Picasso's Guernica.
The Baoulé thus had ritual masks for mystical ceremonies forbidden to women, specific masks for funerary ceremonies and other masks for processions of feasts.
The processions are opened by the Sun and the Moon, which have no mystical meaning in this circumstance. They are followed by masks of animals and humans. Astral masks are shaped as perfect circles that can be fully surrounded by an openwork headband. Their artistic quality is variable.
On June 18 in Paris, Sotheby's sells as lot 23 a superb Baoulé moon mask, still shiny from its tribal polishing with an abrasive leaf. For preserving human features without obliterating the astral representation, the face is reduced to its basic characteristics below a large forehead.
The outline of the mask includes a braided hair and a finial of three open triangles, certainly surviving from an otherwise broken headband. The catalog assumes that this loss made it unusable and that the tribe accepted for this reason to supply it to a foreigner.
The Baoulé thus had ritual masks for mystical ceremonies forbidden to women, specific masks for funerary ceremonies and other masks for processions of feasts.
The processions are opened by the Sun and the Moon, which have no mystical meaning in this circumstance. They are followed by masks of animals and humans. Astral masks are shaped as perfect circles that can be fully surrounded by an openwork headband. Their artistic quality is variable.
On June 18 in Paris, Sotheby's sells as lot 23 a superb Baoulé moon mask, still shiny from its tribal polishing with an abrasive leaf. For preserving human features without obliterating the astral representation, the face is reduced to its basic characteristics below a large forehead.
The outline of the mask includes a braided hair and a finial of three open triangles, certainly surviving from an otherwise broken headband. The catalog assumes that this loss made it unusable and that the tribe accepted for this reason to supply it to a foreigner.
#AuctionUpdate C'était l'un des lots les plus attendus de la vente, le rarissime Masque Lune Baulé, Côte d'Ivoire, a été disputé jusqu'à 4,7 millions € #CollectionRivière #SothebysAfricanArt pic.twitter.com/uwVg6xRpNl
— Sotheby's France (@SothebysFr) June 18, 2019
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
Ngil Mask
2006 SOLD for € 5.9M including premium by Enchères Rive Gauche
narrated in 2011 before the sale of another item at Christie's (see below)
Ngil masks of the Fang ethnic group in Gabon have no metaphysical role. They are not intended to communicate with the nature, the gods and the spirits of the dead. They are used for law enforcement by inspiring terror to evildoers, and also have a role of initiation.
These are real masks as they hide the wearer's face without taking the lines of an ancestor's head. The art of the Ngil masks is minimalist and severe, and had a profound influence on the international art of the twentieth century.
These masks are simple and effective. Eyebrows highlight the forehead, the nose is small and straight and the mouth, when it is shown, does not help. The very small eye holes refer to a symbol of other civilizations: the blind justice.
The star lot of the huge Vérité collection was a Ngil mask 48 cm high, remarkable for the preservation of its white layer of kaolin despite intensive use. It was sold € 5M before fees, 5.9 M including premium by Enchères Rive Gauche in Paris on June 17, 2006.
A Ngil mask 58 cm high collected in the 1920s by a colonial administrator was sold by Christie's for € 930K including premium on December 13, 2011.
These are real masks as they hide the wearer's face without taking the lines of an ancestor's head. The art of the Ngil masks is minimalist and severe, and had a profound influence on the international art of the twentieth century.
These masks are simple and effective. Eyebrows highlight the forehead, the nose is small and straight and the mouth, when it is shown, does not help. The very small eye holes refer to a symbol of other civilizations: the blind justice.
The star lot of the huge Vérité collection was a Ngil mask 48 cm high, remarkable for the preservation of its white layer of kaolin despite intensive use. It was sold € 5M before fees, 5.9 M including premium by Enchères Rive Gauche in Paris on June 17, 2006.
A Ngil mask 58 cm high collected in the 1920s by a colonial administrator was sold by Christie's for € 930K including premium on December 13, 2011.
