Art Tribal

Attributed to the 'Master of beautiful breasts', Attie, Lagoon area, Ivory Coast, 19th century. Wood, 40 cm. © Lucas Ratton at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 604. Provenance: Probably in William O. Oldman's collection (1879-1949), London; Formerly in Armand Trampitsch's collection (1893-1975), Paris; Formerly in Georges F. Keller's collection (1899-1981), Paris; Formerly in Paolo Morigi's collection, Lugano; Formerly in Rudolf and Leonore Blum's collection, USA, acquired from Paolo Morigi in 1989; Formerly... [Lire la suite]

Male Ancestor figure, Hemba people, D. R. of the Congo, 19th century. Wood, 70 x 19 x 17 cm (27.6 x 6.7 x 7.5 in.). © Galerie Bernard Dulon at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 615. Provenance: Jerry Solomon collection, USA. Literature: Mary Nooter Roberts and Alison Saar, Body Politics. The Female Image in Luba Art and the Sculpture of Alison Saar, UCLA Fowler Musem, Los Angeles, California, 2000, cat. no. 14, p. 21. Exhibited: Los Angeles, The Fowler Museum of Cultural History,... [Lire la suite]

Bakongo Statue, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Late 19th century. Wood, metal, pigments and vegetal fibres. Height 53 cm (20.9 in.). © Claes Gallery at TEFAF Maastricht 2019, Stand 601. Provenance: Max Itzikovitz, France. Exhibited: Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Stanford, California, September 2011-August 2013; San Francisco, De Young Museum, 'Embodiments. Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture', 31 January - 5 July 2015. Songye Kifwebe... [Lire la suite]

Tsangui mask, South Gabon, Punu people, late 19th-early 20th century. Polychrome wood. H 26.5 cm. © Galerie Schoffel de Fabry at BRAFA 2019, Stand 48a. Provenance: Philippe and Hélène Leloup, Paris. Literature: Gabon the order of the sacred, masks and statue of the peoples of Ogooué, Galerie Leloup, fig. 7, 1988; Visions of Africa, National History Museum, Taipei, 2003, p. 220. Janus sculpture of ancestral spirit, Papua New Guinea, coastal area of East Sepik, pre-contact, late 19th... [Lire la suite]

Pair of bracelets: Crocodile Heads, Edo peoples, Nigeria, Court of Benin, 17th–19th century. Brass, gilt. H. 5 1/4 x W. 3 3/8 in. (13.3 x 8.6 cm). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991, 1991.17.80 & 1991.17.81. © 2000–2018 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The oba and chiefs of Benin wear pairs of ornate bracelets at palace festivals. Long and cylindrical, these cufflike ornaments may be made of either ivory or brass and display imagery reflecting the exalted status of their bearers.  The spiral... [Lire la suite]

Bracelet, Edo peoples, Nigeria, Court of Benin, 1550–1680 (?). Ivory, copper (?). H. 5 1/8 x Diam. 3 9/16 in. (13 x 9 cm). The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1964, 1978.412.340. © 2000–2018 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. At palace festivals, the king and chiefs of Benin wear pairs of long, cylindrical bracelets made of ivory or brass decorated with images that symbolize royal power. On this example, images of mudfish and Portuguese heads--both referring to... [Lire la suite]

Hip Ornament: Face, Edo peoples, Nigeria, Court of Benin, 16th–17th century. Brass. H. 7 1/2 in. (19.1 cm). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991, 1991.17.49. © 2000–2018 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Benin history, religion, and political structure are brought to life every year in a series of palace rituals intended to purify the kingdom and renew the spiritual powers of the king, the oba. Many of these vivid and solemn rites were introduced by individual obas in order to commemorate events in their reigns... [Lire la suite]

Head of Iyoba, Edo peoples, Nigeria, Court of Benin, 18th–19th century. Brass (cast), iron. H. 21 in. × W. 10 1/2 in. × D. 10 3/4 in. (53.3 × 26.7 × 27.3 cm). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1991, 1991.17.4. © 2000–2018 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the Benin kingdom, the iyoba, or mother of the oba (king), occupies an important and historically significant place within Benin's political hierarchy. The title was first conferred upon Idia, the mother of king Esigie, who used her... [Lire la suite]

Kneeling female figure holding an offering bowl, Nigeria, Iwa Yoruba people, 19th century. Wood. H 32 cm. © Serge Schoffel - Art Premier at BRAFA 2019, Stand 9c. Provenance: Ralph Nash, London 1960s; William W. Brill, New York, ref. no. 475-A; Sotheby’s, New York, 17 November 2006, lot 52 Literature: Selections from the William W. Brill collection of African art, exhibition catalogue, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, 5 May-31 August 1969, p. 25, n° 36; The Duluth News-tribune, 8 February 1970, p. 6; 'La... [Lire la suite]

Yaouré Mask, Yaouré people, Ivory Coast. Wood, traces of vegetable pigments. H 31 cm. © Montagut Gallery at BRAFA 2019, Stand 14d.  Provenance: Sommaruga collection, Bellinzona, Switzerland. Literature: K. Blixen, 'La mia Africa, sculture dell Africa Nere', Olivetti, Milano, 1981. Songye Statue, Songye people, Democratic Republic of Congo. Wood, metal, fetish material, fabric. H 49 cm. © Montagut Gallery at BRAFA 2019, Stand 14d.  Provenance: collection Karel... [Lire la suite]