Null A Calabar "Headrest"
"Neck support"
Calabar, Nigeria
Ohne Sockel / without …
Description

A Calabar "Headrest" "Neck support" Calabar, Nigeria Ohne Sockel / without base Terracotta. H 18 cm. Provenance: Galerie Walu, Zurich (before 1996). Thermoluminescence age determination: 400 years (+/- 20 %). At the end of the 16th century, followers of various ethnic groups from Cameroon (Qua) and Nigeria (Efut and Efik) settled in the area of present-day Calabar along the estuaries, where traditional markets and trade flourished alongside agriculture and fishing. However, archaeological excavations from the 1970s indicate that the area was probably already inhabited in the 5th century. Richly decorated terracotta objects (dating back to the 11th century) feature geometric motifs and wickerwork patterns as well as images of pre-coinage currency. Presumably created by women, according to Gitti Salami (2008), the symbolism used reflects important cultural events as well as the everyday life of the creators and / or owners. Further reading: Gitti (Salami), "Les terres cuites anciennes Calabar au Nigeria", in: Morin, Floriane / Wastiau, Boris (2008). African Terrcottas. A Millenary Heritage. Barbier-Mueller Museum Collections. Geneva: Musée Barbier-Mueller. CHF 200 / 400 Condition: Visible knocks (see photos). Visible knocks (see photos). -------------------------------- The condition (wear, eventual cracks, tear, other imperfections and the effects of aging etc. if applicable) of this lot is as visible on the multiple photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auktionen for all questions you might have regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. In the rare event that the item did not conform to the lot description in the sale, Hammer Auktionen is here to help. Buyers may return the item for a full refund provided you notify Hammer Auktionen within 5 days of receiving the item. -------------------------------------------- The condition (possible wear, signs of use, cracks, possible other damage and signs of age, etc.) of this lot can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. If you have any questions about this item, please do not hesitate to contact Hammer Auctions ([email protected]). The information regarding the condition of the items provided for the convenience of interested parties is an opinion only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. In the rare event that the item does not match the description in the catalog, Hammer Auctions is here to help. Buyers may return the lot for a full refund provided they notify Hammer Auctions within 5 days of receiving the lot.

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A Calabar "Headrest" "Neck support" Calabar, Nigeria Ohne Sockel / without base Terracotta. H 18 cm. Provenance: Galerie Walu, Zurich (before 1996). Thermoluminescence age determination: 400 years (+/- 20 %). At the end of the 16th century, followers of various ethnic groups from Cameroon (Qua) and Nigeria (Efut and Efik) settled in the area of present-day Calabar along the estuaries, where traditional markets and trade flourished alongside agriculture and fishing. However, archaeological excavations from the 1970s indicate that the area was probably already inhabited in the 5th century. Richly decorated terracotta objects (dating back to the 11th century) feature geometric motifs and wickerwork patterns as well as images of pre-coinage currency. Presumably created by women, according to Gitti Salami (2008), the symbolism used reflects important cultural events as well as the everyday life of the creators and / or owners. Further reading: Gitti (Salami), "Les terres cuites anciennes Calabar au Nigeria", in: Morin, Floriane / Wastiau, Boris (2008). African Terrcottas. A Millenary Heritage. Barbier-Mueller Museum Collections. Geneva: Musée Barbier-Mueller. CHF 200 / 400 Condition: Visible knocks (see photos). Visible knocks (see photos). -------------------------------- The condition (wear, eventual cracks, tear, other imperfections and the effects of aging etc. if applicable) of this lot is as visible on the multiple photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auktionen for all questions you might have regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. In the rare event that the item did not conform to the lot description in the sale, Hammer Auktionen is here to help. Buyers may return the item for a full refund provided you notify Hammer Auktionen within 5 days of receiving the item. -------------------------------------------- The condition (possible wear, signs of use, cracks, possible other damage and signs of age, etc.) of this lot can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. If you have any questions about this item, please do not hesitate to contact Hammer Auctions ([email protected]). The information regarding the condition of the items provided for the convenience of interested parties is an opinion only and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions accepts no responsibility for any errors or omissions. In the rare event that the item does not match the description in the catalog, Hammer Auctions is here to help. Buyers may return the lot for a full refund provided they notify Hammer Auctions within 5 days of receiving the lot.

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Great head of the Nok culture. Nigeria. H with stand 31cm, H without stand 25cm, made of beige-brownish mottled terracotta with elaborate coiffure, arranged in two large bowls, pierced eyes and nostrils. This head probably comes from the same archaeological site as the following number. The Nok culture was originally estimated to date from 500 BC to 200 AD. According to new findings, however, it is thought to have developed between 1500 BC and 900 BC. It then experienced its heyday, from which the majority of known terracotta originates. This heyday came to an abrupt end around the turn of the millennium for reasons that are as yet unknown. It marks the transition from stone use to ironworking in central Nigeria and can also be considered the oldest Iron Age culture in sub-Saharan Africa, where bronze was only introduced after iron. The search for minerals, wood and precious stones in the middle of the 20th century and the construction of roads on the plains and plateaus on both sides of the Niger and Benue rivers have brought to light a large number of works of art from ancient indigenous cultures. However, the geological processes of erosion and accumulation in West Africa are of such intensity that large earth movements can be caused over the course of a few centuries. Apart from heads and figures only a few centimetres in size, which usually remain largely intact, the vast majority of the works of art unearthed are damaged or broken. As a rule, this is not a problem if all the parts belonging to the object can be found and professionally restored, as was apparently the case with the head being examined here. The rough and grainy surface of the untouched figures is also due to erosion. The formerly smooth engobe coating is weathered. One mop of hair partially broken off. Provenance: Ex Coll. Mareidi Stoll-Singer, Munich, in Germany since the 1970s.