African Art Collection Auction Ending 9/28

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OLD CEREMONIAL BIRD-HEAD SICKLE BLADE STAFF. Mandara people, Cameroon. This bird-head blade with a blunt beak is a ceremonial form of throwing knife found in northern Cameroon. It is brandished by women dancing in festivals and at funerals. Curved in a cockscomb fashion, the blade merges with a straight, twisted shaft that terminates in a solid, conical handle. On custom mount. H 16in. Hand forged from native smelted iron. Exhibited at Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2003.

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BLACK ON BLACK ADINKRA MOURNING CLOTH. Asante people, Ghana. This fine cloth worn at funerals was collected in 2004 in Ntonso. In this instance, adinkra symbols were hand stamped with black dye on 13 strips of plain black cotton cloth. The strips were joined by machine using shiny strips of narrow black rayon ribbon. Two traditional symbols appear on alternate strips. The circular design is probably a variant of bi-nka-bi meaning “no one should bite another”, a symbol of justice and unity. The rectangular design with hooks is a form of dwennimmen or ram’s horns, a symbol for wisdom, strength, and learning. The most challenging part of the design is painting without drips the six parallel lines using a comb-like device that is dipped in the adinkra ink. L134in. W 85in. Cotton, adinkra ink.

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ROYAL CEREMONIAL NECK RING. Bamum people, Cameroon. Attached to a hand-forged iron ring are 12 miniature cast brass replicas of a Bamum mask surmounted by the fenestrated Bamum cap or mplet, an insignia of high rank or status. By wearing this neck ring, the King asserts his domination over men of the highest status in his court. Diameter 16in. Iron, brass.

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OLD WEST AFRICAN METAL STATUES (2). (A) This small cast brass Rodin-like figure was excavated near Djenne in northern Mali. It depicts an old man, possibly a slave, hunched over while carrying a heavy water pot on his back. Remnants of the red clay from which it was retrieved are firmly attached to it. On custom base. H 3.75in. Brass. (B) In addition to a gong beater (Lot 37), the Bamum royal court in Cameroon had horn blowers who also announced the coming of the King and other important events. This man using a large side-blown horn is wearing a loin cloth similar to that worn by the gong beater in Lot 37. He is wearing a pendant suspended from a double chain around his neck as a mark of royal approval. H 7.5in. Cast copper.

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WEST AFRICAN ARM RING AND BRACELETS (2). (A) Arm ring with 19 seated females around the perimeter representing the king’s wives. Bamum people, Cameroon. Diameter 6in. Cast brass. (B) Ring bracelet forged from native smelted iron. Excavated in the Bandiagara region. Dogon people, Mali. (C) Traditional manilla-form bracelet with three bells worn at ceremonial dances. Bells have stone clappers. Ivory Coast. Diameter 4in. Brass, stone.

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ANIMAL GOLD WEIGHTS (4). Ivory Coast/Ghana. Sitting giraffe (3in); Warthog (2in); Recumbent hyena (2.25in); Standing antelope (2.5in).

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OLD CEREMONIAL DANCE SKIRT AND DANCE SKIRT PANEL. Kuba people, Democratic Republic of Congo. (A) This dramatic skirt was made from three sections of hand woven raffia textile each of which has been subdivided into a pattern created with embroidered and cut pile designs to form repeated rows of 3 squares across from side to side. This is a very unusual pattern for a Kuba dance skirt, as is the exceptionally thick, almost bushy cut pile component and the use of starkly contrasting black, brown, and neutral cut pile fibers. Raffia balls are attached to the border. The cloth was entirely hand woven and hand sewn. L 81.5in W 24in. (B) The geometric designs in this example are predominantly triangles and diamonds created with the cut pile and embroidery techniques on a single sheet of hand woven raffia cloth. The design is broken up into eight contrasting rectangular sections. L 24in. W 23.5in. Raffia. See Clarke 1997 p. 46-56 for information about how Kuba textiles were made.

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ASAFO MILITIA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. The Asafo Company that owned this flag identifies with the small, wily black duiker antelope that has outwitted and defeated a formidable rival Company represented by the captured, dead elephant (upside down) that has been suspended over a cooking pot. This highly insulting message expresses the proverb, “The lion (or elephant) is a fierce (or huge) beast, but it is the duiker that is the King of the bush”. The canton, the Ghana national flag with an asymmetric star, indicates that the flag was made after March 6, 1957, when Ghana became independent. Identical images are appliquéd on both sides. The figures are hand sewn. L 67in. W 45in. Cotton. Exhibited SMA Fathers Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2014. Published in “Emblems of Power. Asafo Flags from Ghana” available only from the authors at ppr2001@med.cornell.edu

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MALE ORACLE PUPPET. Nyamwezi people, Tanzania. Puppets like this were consulted and manipulated for guidance by diviners at times of stress and at funerals. This puppet is articulated at the shoulders and hips with cords. As is typical of many Nyamwezi figures, small beads have been inserted in the eyes. On custom base. H (standing) 19in. Wood, cord, beads.

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CEREMONIAL STAFF WITH FEMALE MWANA HITI FIGURE. Zaramo people, Tanzania. Mwana hiti means “daughter of the throne” but the figure may be referred to as male because of its phallic form. In this instance it was carved with female features including breasts and a protruding (?pregnant) abdomen. Mwana hiti frequently appears at female initiation ceremonies where girls are seated on the ancestral throne of the material family when they are presented to the community. Free standing, small doll-like Mwana hiti figures are much more common than figures such as this one on an iron ceremonial staff. On custom base. H17in. Wood, hand forged iron.

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BUNDU HELMET MASK AND “MEDICINE HEAD”. Sherbro people, Sierra Leone. (A) The bundu helmet mask was worn by an important female member during the initiation of girls into the Sande Society. A white cloth was tied around the knobs of braided hair on top of the mask. The fine carving discloses an elaborately plaited coiffure held in place by strands of cowrie shells. The hair is gathered into braids on either side of the face and into 8 braids that terminate in knots in the back. The forehead is decorated with rosettes on either side of a rectangle divided into small squares. The eyes are perforated with small slits and there are slits among the neck rings. H 16in, Wood, pigment. Exhibited at Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2012. Published in Rosen, Rosen 2013 p40 Fig40. (B) This “medicine head” is a solid, miniature version of a bundu helmet mask. Sculptures such as this embody the spiritual power or “medicine” of bundu masks and the Sande Society. The hair is pulled together in a knot on top. They may be used as shrines that are consulted for guidance in solving problems and healing. This very old example has lost much of its original black pigment. H9in. Wood, pigment.

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WOMAN’S WRAP. Ewe people, Ghana. This unusual cloth consists of 14 hand woven, hand sewn strips with red, white, blue and green rectangular blocks. They form a checkerboard pattern that is enhanced by having the blocks carefully aligned across the cloth, rather than offset as is more common in Ewe textiles. This cloth was purchased in 2005 at Kpetoe, Ghana, an Ewe weaving center, from Kwasi Gbagbo who reported that it had been woven by his grandfather Kwaku Gbagbo for his grandmother. L72in. W48in. Cotton.

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MIA F-SHAPED THROWING BLADE. Sara people, southern Chad. These weapons were carried in bunches of 3 or more in pouches slung over the shoulders of warriors belonging to special military units. They were made by members of the kodi blacksmith caste from locally smelted iron. On custom base. H 25in. Iron. Exhibited at the Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2003.

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BRACELETS (4). Black lacquer cow horn Kenya (3.25in); two woven of plastic Ghana (2.5in); twisted copper, brass, iron Kenya (3in).

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STRING PUPPETS (2). Both articulated at shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, and knees. Heads rotate. ((A) Ewe people, Ghana. This Elvis-like puppet represents a young man dressed in a party outfit that includes white polka dot shoes. On custom base that includes a flange behind the figure to hold the wooden apparatus used to manipulate the strings. H 16in. Wood, cloth, string, paint, nails. (B) Ashante people, Ghana. Finely carved male puppet wearing a printed kente cloth outfit and black slipper shoes. He is holding a calabash rattle with seeds. H 16in. Wood, cloth, calabash, seed beads, string, metal, leather.

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OLD IRON WEST AFRICAN FARMING IMPLEMENTS (2). (A) Sickle blade made from hand forged iron with wood handle. On custom base. H 12in. Iron, wood. (B) Kirdi people, Cameroon. Y-shaped hoe blade made from hand forged iron. On custom base. H 9.25in. Iron.

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ROYAL STAFF FINIAL. Edo people, Benin. Figures of birds with outstretched arms cast in copper or iron were place at the peaks of steeples in the King’s (Oba) palace. They symbolized the Oba’s infinite authority over his kingdom and his divinity derived from the all-powerful Creator in the heavens. The bird is thought to be a “fish eagle”, a species of bird that was raised in captivity in the palace. Here it appears as the finial of a royal staff as an emblem of wisdom and high rank in the royal court. On custom base. H 6in. Iron.

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ELU FACE MASK WITH ARTICULATED JAW. Ogoni people, Nigeria. This old mask depicts a woman with her parted hair arranged in 3 carefully sculpted lobes. The considerable age of the mask is evidenced by the several layers of white pigment on the face. This mask did not have teeth. Elu masks were worn by members of ritual societies during religious and social functions. H 6.5in. Wood, pigment, string.

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ASAFO MILITIA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. This flag depicts a figure representing a rival Company who has fallen from a pepper tree after picking and biting into the red, very hot pepper tree fruit. The message to a rival is that the Company which owns this flag is as toxic as a pepper tree fruit when aroused, or “don’t mess with us”. The figures are hand sewn with identical images on both sides of the flag. L 62in. W 36in. Cotton. Exhibited at Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2013 and SMA Fathers Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2014. Published in “Emblems of Power. Asafo Flags from Ghana” p. 66 Fig 48 available only from the authors at ppr2001@med.cornell.edu.

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ROYAL WARRIOR. Edo people, Benin. Statues like this made by royal blacksmiths depict the King’s (Oba’s) warriors. This soldier holds in his right hand a ritual sword decorated with two snakes, probably pythons, which together with birds are Edo symbols of the Oba’s connection between the heaven and earth. In his left hand, the warrior holds a gong that is rung to announce the presence of the Oba. H17in. Iron.