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A Chamba Pre-Coinage Currency Pre-coinage currency Chamba , Nigeria Ohne Sockel / without base Iron. H 86 cm. Provenance: Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) and Muriel Olesen (1948-2020), Geneva. Due to the value of the raw materials used, so-called primitive money was also a store of value and was also used as a means of exchange and payment. These pre-coinage means of payment in standardized forms were traded over long distances. The use of imported manillas made of copper alloys as objects of exchange in Africa dates back to at least the 16th century, when the Portuguese established trading stations in West Africa. Over time, these imported goods were repeatedly melted down and cast or forged into new shapes, with other materials, such as iron, increasingly being traded in the same way. At the beginning of the 20th century, most colonial powers banned these forms of money as a means of payment in order to establish their own currencies. Further reading: Ballarini, Roberto (2009). The Perfect Form. On the Track of African Tribal Currency. Milan: Galleria Africa Curio. ----------------------------------------------------- Gérald Minkoff and Muriel Olesen Muriel Minkoff-Olesen (1948- 2020) completed her training at the School of Design in Geneva. Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) was a trained anthropologist and biologist. Both achieved fame as artists and from their meeting in 1967, the emblematic couple of contemporary art were inseparable. The travel-loving Olesen-Minkoff duo explored life like curious nomads, roaming the globe from Africa to Asia, Oceania, America and Patagonia. As artists and experienced collectors of contemporary art, they understandably had a keen sensitivity to the aesthetics and concepts of non-European art. The couple's Geneva apartment, perhaps their most beautiful joint work, thus became a place where the works of close friends such as Daniel Spoerri, Arman and Man Ray, as well as their own photographs, lived together with almost a thousand objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and South America. CHF 100 / 200 Weight in grams: 1093 Condition: The condition of this lot (wear, signs of use, tears, any other detractions and the signs of age, etc. The condition of this lot (wear, tears, possible other impairments and signs of age, if applicable) can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auctions with any questions regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any statements regarding the condition of items made for the convenience of interested parties are opinions only and should not be treated as statements 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 Hammer Auctions has been notified within 5 days of receipt of the lot.

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A Chamba Pre-Coinage Currency Pre-coinage currency Chamba , Nigeria Ohne Sockel / without base Iron. H 86 cm. Provenance: Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) and Muriel Olesen (1948-2020), Geneva. Due to the value of the raw materials used, so-called primitive money was also a store of value and was also used as a means of exchange and payment. These pre-coinage means of payment in standardized forms were traded over long distances. The use of imported manillas made of copper alloys as objects of exchange in Africa dates back to at least the 16th century, when the Portuguese established trading stations in West Africa. Over time, these imported goods were repeatedly melted down and cast or forged into new shapes, with other materials, such as iron, increasingly being traded in the same way. At the beginning of the 20th century, most colonial powers banned these forms of money as a means of payment in order to establish their own currencies. Further reading: Ballarini, Roberto (2009). The Perfect Form. On the Track of African Tribal Currency. Milan: Galleria Africa Curio. ----------------------------------------------------- Gérald Minkoff and Muriel Olesen Muriel Minkoff-Olesen (1948- 2020) completed her training at the School of Design in Geneva. Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) was a trained anthropologist and biologist. Both achieved fame as artists and from their meeting in 1967, the emblematic couple of contemporary art were inseparable. The travel-loving Olesen-Minkoff duo explored life like curious nomads, roaming the globe from Africa to Asia, Oceania, America and Patagonia. As artists and experienced collectors of contemporary art, they understandably had a keen sensitivity to the aesthetics and concepts of non-European art. The couple's Geneva apartment, perhaps their most beautiful joint work, thus became a place where the works of close friends such as Daniel Spoerri, Arman and Man Ray, as well as their own photographs, lived together with almost a thousand objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and South America. CHF 100 / 200 Weight in grams: 1093 Condition: The condition of this lot (wear, signs of use, tears, any other detractions and the signs of age, etc. The condition of this lot (wear, tears, possible other impairments and signs of age, if applicable) can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auctions with any questions regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any statements regarding the condition of items made for the convenience of interested parties are opinions only and should not be treated as statements 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 Hammer Auctions has been notified within 5 days of receipt of the lot.

Estimate 100 - 200 CHF
Starting price 5 CHF

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2 Kru Pre-Coinage Currencies, "nitien" 2 pre-coinage currencies, "nitien" Kru, Liberia / Côte d'Ivoire Ohne Sockel / without base Copper alloys. B 15 - 20 cm. Provenance: Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) and Muriel Olesen (1948-2020), Geneva. Due to the value of the processed raw materials, so-called primitive money was also a store of value and was also used as a means of exchange and payment. These pre-coinage means of payment in standardized forms were traded over long distances. The use of imported manillas made of copper alloys as objects of exchange in Africa dates back to at least the 16th century, when the Portuguese established trading stations in West Africa. Over time, these imported goods were repeatedly melted down and cast or forged into new shapes, with other materials, such as iron, increasingly being traded in the same way. At the beginning of the 20th century, most colonial powers banned these forms of money as a means of payment in order to establish their own currencies. Further reading: Victor, Robert (1986). Monnaies Premières. Wormhout: Robert Victor. Cf.: Ballarini, Roberto (2009). The Perfect Form. On the Track of African Tribal Currency. Milan: Galleria Africa Curio. Page 126. ----------------------------------------------------- Gérald Minkoff and Muriel Olesen Muriel Minkoff-Olesen (1948- 2020) completed her training at the School of Design in Geneva. Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) was a trained anthropologist and biologist. Both achieved fame as artists and from their meeting in 1967, the emblematic couple of contemporary art were inseparable. The travel-loving Olesen-Minkoff duo explored life like curious nomads, roaming the globe from Africa to Asia, Oceania, America and Patagonia. As artists and experienced collectors of contemporary art, they understandably had a keen sensitivity to the aesthetics and concepts of non-European art. The couple's Geneva apartment, perhaps their most beautiful joint work, thus became a place where the works of close friends such as Daniel Spoerri, Arman and Man Ray, as well as their own photographs, lived together with almost a thousand objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and South America. CHF 200 / 400 Weight in grams: 5255 Condition: The condition of this lot (wear, signs of use, tears, any other detractions and the signs of age, etc. The condition of this lot (wear, tears, possible other impairments and signs of age, if applicable) can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auctions with any questions regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any statements regarding the condition of items made for the convenience of interested parties are opinions only and should not be treated as statements 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 Hammer Auctions has been notified within 5 days of receipt of the lot.

A Fang Torque (Pre-Coinage Currency), "akure" Jewelry ring (pre-coinage currency), "akure" Fang, Gabon Ohne Sockel / without base Copper alloy. Ø 18 cm. Provenance: - Jean-Louis Rinsoz (1932-1971), Vevey. - Heirs of Jean-Louis Rinsoz, French-speaking Switzerland. Jewelry in a wide variety of forms and materials has always accompanied and fascinated people of all cultures. From a cultural point of view, however, bracelets and anklets, amulets, finger rings and necklaces are much more than just pieces of jewelry. In large parts of Africa, the masterfully crafted jewels are appreciated for their beauty, but the precious ornaments are above all part of religious beliefs. They are therefore testimony to the affiliation, rank and faith of the wearer. Furthermore, healers prescribed the wearing of protective jewelry for recovery or to avert disaster. The treasures were therefore also worn as magical, protective and empowering objects. In addition to local materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, stone, ivory, shell or resin, popular imported goods (glass, coral, cowrie shells, etc.) were also used to make these valuable unique pieces. Indian stone beads, for example, reached Africa very early on via the trade routes of the Near East. Later, during Murano's heyday between the 16th and 19th centuries, Italian-made glass beads in particular sold like hot cakes. Due to the value of the raw materials used, the jewelry was also a store of value and was also used as a means of exchange and payment. These pre-coinage means of payment (so-called primitive money) in standardized forms were traded over long distances. The use of imported manillas made of copper alloys as objects of exchange in Africa dates back to at least the 16th century, when the Portuguese established trading stations in West Africa. Over time, these imported goods were repeatedly melted down and cast or forged into new shapes, with other materials, such as iron, increasingly being traded in the same way. At the beginning of the 20th century, most colonial powers banned these forms of money as a means of payment in order to establish their own currencies. Further reading: Glar, Wilfried (2002). African maturity. Attempt at an overview (5 volumes). Self-published. ----------------------------------------------------- Jean-Louis Rinsoz Jean-Louis Rinsoz was born in Vevey in 1932. After completing his schooling, he studied economics at the University of Lausanne (Faculty of Business Administration, HEC) before joining the family business "Rinsoz et Ormond SA" in Vevey, which manufactured tobacco, cigars and cigarettes. Deeply attached to his home region, he was always closely involved in Vevey's social, cultural and industrial activities. In order to diversify the sources of tobacco supply and meet the growing demands of an expanding market, Jean-Louis Rinsoz looked for new production areas. His travels took him first to Maryland (USA) and then, in the mid-1960s, to Côte d'Ivoire. This country was a revelation for him. Everything he was passionate about was there: the nature, the people and their culture! In addition to developing a significant economic partnership with the Ivorian state by setting up several tobacco production centers there, Jean-Louis Rinsoz financed the opening of a number of small schools to provide access to education for the children of this country. He was officially appointed by the Ivorian state as "Honorary Consul of Côte d'Ivoire in Switzerland, based in Vevey" and was even inaugurated as village chief in the Baoulé region. He was equally fascinated by the traditional art of these regions, in its social, aesthetic and religious dimensions. It was in this context that he met the ethnologist and art historian Bohumil Holas, who was then director of the Museum of Civilizations of Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan. The two men became friends. The confluence of all these factors resulted in the exhibition "Arts de la Côte d'Ivoire. The Treasures of the Abidjan Museum", which was held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Vevey in 1969. Jean-Louis Rinsoz was the chairman of the committee. The moving foreword he wrote for the catalog of this event testifies to his deep attachment to this country. Jean-Louis Rinsoz had applied for Ivorian citizenship. He was never to live to see that day, as he died in a tragic accident in 1971. The African objects from Jean-Louis Rinsoz's personal collection have been in the family ever since and this "treasure from Vevey" is being offered to international collectors of traditional African art for the first time at our auction. CHF 100 / 2

A Mongo Anklet (Pre-Coinage Currency), "konga" Leg ornament (pre-coinage currency), "konga" Mongo / Ekonda / Nkutu, DR Congo Ohne Sockel / without base Copper alloy. L 32 cm. Provenance: Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) and Muriel Olesen (1948-2020), Geneva. Published: Minkoff, Gérald / Olesen, Muriel (1977). Au quotidien sublime. Un choix d'objets, de parures et de tissus traditionels d'Afrique. Figure 44. Exhibited: Lausanne: Musée des arts décoratifs. Au quotidien sublime. Gérald Minkoff et Muriel Olesen: un choix d'objets, de parures et de tissus traditionnels en Afrique. 27.09 - 09.11.1997. Jewelry in various forms and materials has always accompanied and fascinated people of all cultures. From a cultural point of view, however, bracelets and anklets, amulets, finger rings and necklaces are much more than just pieces of jewelry. In large parts of Africa, the masterfully crafted jewels are appreciated for their beauty, but the precious ornaments are above all part of religious beliefs. They are therefore testimony to the affiliation, rank and faith of the wearer. Furthermore, healers prescribed the wearing of protective jewelry for recovery or to avert disaster. The treasures were therefore also worn as magical, protective and empowering objects. In addition to local materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, stone, ivory, shell or resin, popular imported goods (glass, coral, cowrie shells, etc.) were also used to make these valuable unique pieces. Indian stone beads, for example, reached Africa very early on via the trade routes of the Near East. Later, during Murano's heyday between the 16th and 19th centuries, Italian-made glass beads in particular sold like hot cakes. In the areas influenced by Islam, silver was traditionally preferred to gold for jewelry. The reason for this was that this shiny white precious metal was said to be pure and to promise its owner happiness and prosperity. Due to the value of the processed raw materials, the pieces of jewelry were also a store of value and were also used as a means of exchange and payment. These pre-coinage means of payment (so-called primitive money) in standardized forms were traded over long distances. The use of imported manillas made of copper alloys as objects of exchange in Africa dates back to at least the 16th century, when the Portuguese established trading stations in West Africa. Over time, these imported goods were repeatedly melted down and cast or forged into new shapes, with other materials, such as iron, increasingly being traded in the same way. At the beginning of the 20th century, most colonial powers banned these forms of money as a means of payment in order to establish their own currencies. Further reading: Borel, France (1999). Jewelry. Treasures from Africa, Asia, Oceania and America. From the Ghysels Collection. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz. ----------------------------------------------------- Gérald Minkoff and Muriel Olesen Muriel Minkoff-Olesen (1948- 2020) completed her training at the School of Design in Geneva. Gérald Minkoff (1937-2009) was a trained anthropologist and biologist. Both achieved fame as artists and from their meeting in 1967, the emblematic couple of contemporary art were inseparable. The travel-loving Olesen-Minkoff duo explored life like curious nomads, roaming the globe from Africa to Asia, Oceania, America and Patagonia. As artists and experienced collectors of contemporary art, they understandably had a keen sensitivity to the aesthetics and concepts of non-European art. The couple's Geneva apartment, perhaps their most beautiful joint work, thus became a place where the works of close friends such as Daniel Spoerri, Arman and Man Ray, as well as their own photographs, lived together with almost a thousand objects from Africa, Oceania, Asia and South America. CHF 200 / 400 Weight in grams: 8700 Condition: The condition of this lot (wear, signs of use, tears, any other detractions and the signs of age, etc. The condition of this lot (wear, tears, any other damage and signs of age, etc., if applicable) can be seen in the photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please do not hesitate to contact Hammer Auctions with any questions regarding this lot ([email protected]). Any statements regarding the condition of items made for the convenience of interested parties are opinions only and should not be treated as statements 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 can purchase the lot for