African Art Auction Ending 9/25

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FIVE OLD GOLD WEIGHTS (1700-1900). Akan people, Ghana. All brass cast by the lost wax method and marked on reverse with collection numbers. G12: Round; G14 Square with one corner cut off to adjust the weight; G14C and G14D: Squares with swastika symbol. The swastika, a cruciform design, is an ancient motif with many meanings such as mysterious power and a crossroad. Among the Akan people of Ghana, it is called "the monkey's foot". G14E: Rectangle with fortress design. Sizes range from 0.5in to 1.75in. All Ex Scott Semans Collection.

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RARE EARLY ASAFO MILITIA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. This flag was dated to the early 1900s by Baba Mahama, from whose collection in Ghana it was obtained. The flag depicts a bull tethered to a branch of a tree. The message conveyed comes from the proverb, "It takes a strong tree to tie a bull", meaning that the leader of this Asafo Company is as strong as the tree to which a bull is tied. The cross may be the canton in an unusual position. Early flags such as this had relatively simple imagery and no border. The field is red flannel and the bull is cut from patterned black cloth. The fringe is consistent with a flag of this age and it is entirely hand sewn with fine stitches. Cotton. 60.6in x 30.5in. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2011and the SMA Fathers Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2013. Published in "Emblems of Power. Asafo Flags from Ghana" p 87 Fig 89. THIS BOOK (see picture) IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHORS AT ppr2001@med.cornell.edu.

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LARGE GONG RATTLE. Chamba people, Cameroon and Nigeria. The gongs and ring rattles hang from a bow-shaped wooden handle that displays wear from use. Played as part of the music performed at various celebrations. On custom base. Hand forged iron. Wood. H16in. Exhibited at the Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2003.

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KIGANGO OR VIGANGO MEMORIAL POST. Girayama people, Kenya and Tanzania. These posts were carved as memorial markers for high-ranking members of secret societies such as Chana Ya Vaja. The post represents the body of the deceased man, and it may be kept in or near his home where it is offered libations. The front is decorated with triangular notches. Natural pigments made from soil or plant material that were used to paint the notches have been lost due to prolonged exposure to the elements. On custom base. Wood. H57in.

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TWO THROWING KNIVES. (A) Ngbaka people, Congo. Beveled blades are sharp. Leather over wood handle. Hand forged iron, wood, leather. H16in. (B) Mbanza people, Central African Republic. Engraved design on semilunar blade. Iron. H16in.

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CEREMONIAL FETISH. Fon people, Benin. Venerated during ceremonies initiating boys into secret societies. On custom base. Hand forged iron. H8in.

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BLACKSMITH TOOLS, AN OLD IRON BLOOM, AND IRON ORE. Soninke people, Gambia. (A) Anvil with shape of a large spike. On custom base. Iron. H7in. {B) Hammer with different heads showing evidence of prolonged use. Wood handle with smooth patina from use. Iron, wood. H11in. (C) Iron bloom from an old traditional smelting furnace. The bloom is the raw iron extracted from the ore by the heat of the smelting furnace. The overgrown ancient smelting site from which this bloom was recovered was discovered by Kaaboully Nimaga near his home village, Kumbija Kaabaakoum in 2003. Mr. Nimaga is known in Gambia as the inventor of a written alphabet for the Soninke language that has made it possible for the first time to have written text. The picture shows an elderly, bearded blacksmith supervising an apprentice using a hammer to break a bloom into smaller fragments. Pieces of a bloom already broken up are in the foreground. The smaller pieces are heated again to separate the iron from impurities in the bloom. The tall structure on the right is the smelting furnace constructed of clay. This conical bloom weighs about 4lb and is 5in tall. {D) Iron ore. Mali. Small stone rich in iron. This is the material which was loaded into a traditional smelting furnace. Collected near Bandiagara in Dogon territory.

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HEAD CREST MASK. Temne people, Sierra Leone. Worn during Jolly (pronounced Jollay) Society masquerades in which the performer is hidden by a voluminous costume that hangs from the armature supporting the head crest mask. The woman depicted has an elaborate coiffure. Wood, paint. H17in. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2011. Published in "Masks from West and Central Africa" p64 Fig 77.

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TWO ASYMMETRIC DOUBLE GONGS. Bamana people, Mali. Each of the pair of gongs emits a different sound when struck. (A) Old gong on custom base. Hand forged iron. H13in. (B) New gong purchased from a blacksmith in Bamako, the capital of Mali. Hand forged from recycled iron. H11.5in.

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CRUCIFORM COPPER INGOT (KATANGA CROSS OR HANDA). Luba people, Katanga region Congo. These ingots were used as currency in the Congo and regions to the east in what is now Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The Katanga region is rich in copper ore. In general, the value of handa increased with increasing distance from their origin. The molds into which molten copper was poured were carved in soapstone, made with fired clay, or created in wet sand. Note the characteristic raised rib on one side where the arms cross. A bride could be obtained with 14 handa, one goat, and a female slave. As late as 1907, a male slave cost 3 to 5 handa. They were still in use in the 1920s. On custom base. Copper. Dimension across one arm is 8. 5in.

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ASAFO MILITIA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. The message conveyed by this flag is that a good Asafo Chief looks after the welfare of his community and Company, thereby increasing their strength. The leader of the Company is likened to a crocodile, a wise manager and a wily military leader in the water and on land. The crocodile is depicted lying at the edge of a pond containing fish with birds circling in the air. The crocodile protects the fish and birds (his community), allowing them to prosper. A related proverb is 11The crocodile lives in the water, but it breathes the air". The field is made from two joined sheets of yellow cloth. The figures and unusually large Union Jack canton are hand sewn with embroidered details. Cotton textile. 54in x 38in. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2012 and the SMA Fathers Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2013. Published in "Emblems of Power. Asafo Flags from Ghana" p83 Fig 82. THIS BOOK (see picture) IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHORS AT ppr2001@med.cornell.edu.

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KNOTTED TWISTED COIL MANILLA BRACELET (BOUCHIE). Yoruba people, Nigeria. This extraordinary example of a blacksmith's skill was made from a single heated copper rod. The flared ends of the coiled rod are held in hairpin knots, and there is a twisted knot in the middle of the coil. The knot is a symbol of permanence. To appreciate how difficult it is to make this bracelet from a hot copper rod, one can attempt to duplicate it with a soft stick of cool licorice. The technique by which this was accomplished is no longer known to African blacksmiths who now make reproductions by casting copper in molds. This authentic example which dates from the latter part of the 18th century was excavated in the 1950s. Knotted, twisted manillas were highly prized and used as currency in important transactions. They were also a store of wealth and as such were sometimes buried in or near a home. Copper. Diameter 5in.

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OLD CURRENCY SPEAR. Tuareg people, Mali and Niger. The Tuareg are nomadic people in the southern Sahara regions of Mali and Niger. Spear-form currency was exchanged in important transactions like the purchase of a camel or rifle, and as bride wealth. These examples were collected from a Tuareg man in the city of Mopti in northern Mali in 2003. More recently, many local tribesmen in and around this city, including the Tuareg, have become involved in Jihadist terrorism. Consequently, it is no longer safe for Westerners to visit this region and coveted objects such as these currency spears are difficult to obtain. To facilitate transport on a camel, each spear consists of 2 sections. The upper blade ends in a tapered blunt point that fits in a leather-bound socket at the top of the handle. A couple of brass bells are suspended from a ring below each leather-bound socket. There are engraved abstract designs on both sides of each blade and handle. Each on a custom base. Iron, brass, leather. Barbed blade 18in Handle 17. 5in.

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OLD CURRENCY SPEAR. Tuareg people, Mali and Niger. The Tuareg are nomadic people in the southern Sahara regions of Mali and Niger. Spear-form currency was exchanged in important transactions like the purchase of a camel or rifle, and as bride wealth. These examples were collected from a Tuareg man in the city of Mopti in northern Mali in 2003. More recently, many local tribesmen in and around this city, including the Tuareg, have become involved in Jihadist terrorism. Consequently, it is no longer safe for Westerners to visit this region and coveted objects such as these currency spears are difficult to obtain. To facilitate transport on a camel, each spear consists of 2 sections. The upper blade ends in a tapered blunt point that fits in a leather-bound socket at the top of the handle. A couple of brass bells are suspended from a ring below each leather-bound socket. There are engraved abstract designs on both sides of each blade and handle. Each on a custom base. Iron, brass, leather. Blade 26in Handle 26. 5in.

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FIVE GOLDWEIGHTS. Akan people, Ghana or Ivory Coast. The region where these weights were used was called the Gold Coast because of the abundance of gold present there, especially in the form of small particles in the streams. By straining the mud and sand, miners gathered great quantities of 11gold dust" which was used to purchase goods. The dust was weighed on a balance scale using brass weights, a practice dating from at least the 12th or 13th centuries and continued until the mid-20th century. Items (A)-{C) exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2011have numbered exhibition labels. (A) Pistol(19th century) 2in. (B) land tortoise (early 20th century) 2. 5in (C) Fist holding a spiked club {19th century) 2in. (D) Ring with a pair of birds (early 20th century) 1. 5in. {E) Pendant (early 20th century) 2.5in.

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CEREMONIAL SICKLE-FORM STAFF WITH BIRD HEAD. Kirdi or Marghi people, northern Nigeria and Cameroon. This example has an unusually long handle with a heart shaped base that gives it a form similar to a ceremonial throwing knife. Bird head staffs were carried by women who waved them overhead during ceremonial dances. On custom base. Hand forged iron. H23in. Exhibited at Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2003.

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CEREMONIAL SPEAR HEAD CURRENCY. Mbole people, Congo. The rhomboid form of this object is derived from the point of a spear. It originated in the centuries-old tradition of a man planting one or more spears in the ground in front of his spouses's house to establish that he had paid the required dowry and to discourage any other suitors. Over time, spears which were actual weapons became transformed into these non-functional, decorative forms. The socket at the bae of the spear head was set on a tapered iron rod which was plunged firmly into the ground. On custom base. Hand forged by a blacksmith in Opala village. Iron. H18. 5in.

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PRETIGIOUS CEREMONIAL BLACKSMITH'S TONGS. Nupe people, Nigeria. Suspended by a fine double chain of steel links, these tongs hung around the blacksmith's neck as a symbol of his elevated status in the community. It was worn on important ceremonial occasions and rarely used in his work. In this exquisite example that has the form of a lyre, the gracefully curved ends of the handles are wrapped with copper wire as a mark of prestige. Ceremonial tongs were highly prized by their owners and rarely relinquished, but they were sometimes offered in exchange in very important transactions. On custom base. Hand forged iron, steel chain, copper wire. H17in.

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MONEY SWORD. Yoruba people, Nigeria. When European colonists introduced coins and paper money in Africa around 1900, the local people found inventive ways to carry the currency when their clothing did not have pockets. Coins were often minted with a hole like a washer so that they could be worn or carried on a string. In this instance, holes were punched in a traditional Yoruba ceremonial sword so that coins could be attached to it with string. The sword acted as a bank account and given in important transactions such as bride price. Both sides of the sword are covered with British West African half-penny coins decorated with a six-pointed star and dated 1932-1957. It is noteworthy that coincidentally money swords were also used in China around the same time as a form of dowry payment. On custom base. Hand forged iron, British West African coins, string. H13. 5in.

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TWO BRACELET-FORM MANILLAS. Yoruba people, Nigeria. Manillas are a diverse group of iron, brass, and copper objects with semicircular C-shapes, U-shapes and elongated U-shapes, as well as coils and rings. The name manilla has been attributed to the word manilho or manillol meaning bracelet. Most manillas were manufactured in European countries and transported to Africa to be exchanged for various goods, including gold, ivory and slaves. They were usually made by pouring molten metal into molds. Decorative surface designs were sometimes built into the molds to increase the value of manillas or they were added by African blacksmiths. Manillas with decorated surfaces were highly prized to be used for ceremonial purposes or hoarded and buried for safe keeping. (A) C-shaped manilla with surface decoration added during casting. Said to have been excavated from a hoard in the 1960s which explains the verdigris patina. On custom base. Brass. Diameter 5.5". (B) C­ shaped manilla with inscribed surface decoration added by an African blacksmith. Designs consist of lines forming triangles and punched circles. Dates from early 19th century. On custom base. Diameter 4. 5in. 31b. Exhibited at the Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2003.