All lots "World Art" Advanced search

3372 results

Sun 26 May

MITSOGHO, GABON. House post. The top features a stylized face. Wood and pigments. Height 170 - Width 15.5 cm (accident on the rhombus and restoration) Provenance: Yves Ebrard, friend and partner of Claude Andrault. Misson Andrault then French private collection. A similar work from the same provenance sold by Galerie Ratton. The Mitsogho, a Bantu people from Central Africa settled in central Gabon, notably in the Ngounié region, are renowned for their elaborate initiation rite known as bwiti, which later spread throughout the country. This rite enabled initiates to gain knowledge of the world, of themselves and of humanity, according to the beliefs and ideologies of these ethnic groups. The initiation rite took place in the temple, the men's house called, for the Tsogho tsogho, Ebanza, whose roof was carried, supported and maintained by pillars sculpted either with one or more figures, or with symbolic geometric motifs. Mythical entities were thus materialized in architectural elements. Some were installed in pairs in the sanctuary, embodying the male/female duality, symbolically representing the male ancestor known as disumba, and the mother ancestor known as gheonga. mother called gheonga, this primary duality translated into an elaborate codification of colors, the fem signifying the white of kaolin, the ba translating into the red of padouk: the white and red line drawn on the forehead as in this rare specimen indicates the "marking of those initiated into bwiti, who know secrets unknown to most." This work, a rare architectural element from the Ebanza temple, is a long, elongated, flattened pillar whose surface is decorated with alternating triangular and diamond-shaped geometrical motifs enhanced with black, white and red pigments, the whole divided by a long red median line. The figure's neck, signified by a white rhombus with black edges, has a horizontal rhombus in its center, highlighted in red. The entire surface of the stylized face is covered in kaolin, with its pointed cheeks tapering and stretching geometrically to the sides, and its rounded top highlighted in red and black. The small, tapered eyes are magnified by fine, arched, black eyebrow arches, almost forming a heart shape, and skilfully linked to the small, triangular nose. A long, rectangular tongue a long, rectangular red tongue. Expert : Madame Aurore Krier-Mariani.

Estim. 7 000 - 10 000 EUR

Sun 26 May

MADAGASCAR. Sakalava statue. Eroded wood. Height 92 - Width 22 cm Although the imprint of time has erased the features of her face and more deeply marked the veins in her eroded hardwood, the influence of this Sakalava female sculpture is undeniably evident in the fluidity of her moving forms. The subtle ambivalence between the proud, fixed stature and the movement suggested by the bending of legs and arms. Its strength as a dreamlike presence is matched by its symbolic value. She embodies a hymn to life laid beside the tombs, animated by a lyrical, poetic force. Imbued with a quiet yet dynamic power, it is one of the most sensitive expressions of African status. Funerary art, an emblematic creation of Malagasy civilization, appeared in central-western Madagascar in the 17th century, at the birth of the Sakalava kingdom. The sculptor's gesture mediates the sacred. These posts were dedicated to the sacred cult of the dead, symbolizing the passage to the other world by marking and indicating the tomb. As community life was intimately linked to the deceased ancestors, the burial enclosure was worthy of very special attention, as it was the key point of confluence between the physical and spiritual worlds. The place of myth incarnate. Power and solemn pride are intertwined and can be seen in his gestures, with his face bent slightly backwards towards the spiritual. The importance of the embodied character revealed in the elaborate headdress. A similar work from Galerie 62 was exhibited at the Musée de Grenoble during the exhibition "L'Art au futur antérieur" exhibition in 2004. Provenance: Collection Claude et Sylvette Féraud. Artist, surrealist, co-founder of Fata Morgana co-founder of the Fata Morgana publishing house and member of the Phase group. Expert: Madame Aurore Krier-Mariani.

Estim. 2 000 - 3 000 EUR