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Jean Roudillon Collection

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Salle 9 - Hôtel Drouot - 9, rue Drouot 75009 Paris, France
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jeudi 06 juin - 11:00/12:00, Salle 9 - Hôtel Drouot
mercredi 05 juin - 11:00/18:00, Salle 9 - Hôtel Drouot
mardi 04 juin - 11:00/18:00, Salle 9 - Hôtel Drouot
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Lot 12 - Phrenology skull France, mid-19th century. Natural bone and India ink, on modern base. D. 13.5 x 19 x 13 cm Remarkable specimen of a phrenological skull, testifying to the various systems developed during the 19th century in France by this discipline then presented as medical. The theory was founded in Vienna at the end of the 18th century by the German physician Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). This pseudo-science, called cranioscopy by its originator, claimed to establish the psychological profile of individuals by palpating the surface of the skull for protuberant areas or bumps. This calvarium skull is adorned with a handwritten map carefully traced in Indian ink: some sixty zones delimited by a curvilinear line, with dotted words associated with numbers, cover the entire cranial vault. This mapping of the brain corresponds to the system established by Gall and enlarged by physician François Broussais in the 1840s, with 38 compartments corresponding to "feelings" and "inclinations" such as kindness (no. 24), self-esteem (no. 10), or dreaming (no. 29), placed here above the right arch. This skull also bears, on its large left wing, the mark of the system established by Gall's pupil and collaborator, Dr. Johann Gaspar Spurzheim (1766-1832). His system can be identified by compound words with the suffix "ité", such as aggressiveness, combativeness and approbativeness (or the desire to please), an inclination that seems more present on female skulls. This skull, with its beautiful patina and delicate, sometimes faded lettering, shows weaknesses consolidated by adhesives on the inside. Provenance Jean Roudillon Collection References Spurzheim, Observation sur la phrénologie : ouvrage précédé du Manuel de phrénologie publié par l'auteur, Paris, 1818. | Broussais, Cours de phrénologie, Paris, Baillière, 1836. | L'âme au corps : arts et sciences, 1793-1993. Paris, RMN Grand Palais, 2002, pp. 255 ff. | A phrenological calvarium skull is kept at the Musée Crozatier, inventory no. 890.189.

Estim. 3 000 - 3 500 EUR

Lot 26 - A representation of a holy horseman, probably Saint George, surrounded by five other figures. The Christian kingdom of Ethiopia inherited the ancient kingdom of Aksum, whose elites had converted to Christianity in the 4th century. This Saint George is surrounded by other biblical figures, all depicted from the front, thus having a positive impact as opposed to the figures depicted in profile in the tradition of Ethiopian sacred painting, which is distinguished by numerous singularities, notably its magical and therapeutic virtues. Such paintings adorned the walls of Ethiopian round churches. Saint George, often painted on his mount slaying the dragon, is the patron saint of the Christian church in Ethiopia. Conveying masculine, protective and warrior values, he was generally painted on the outer west wall of the cube-shaped sanctuary called Mäqdäs, where the men sit during services. Note here the remnants of fine old original pigments, blue obtained from smalt (potassium silicate) and minium for orange, imported pigments used in Europe since the Renaissance, recalling the very ancient exchanges between Ethiopia and Europe since the first embassy sent by King Dawit I to Venice on July 16, 1402 to bring back religious material and pigments in particular. Ethiopia, late 18th or 19th century. Painting on canvas, re-mounted on canvas and mounted on stretcher, visible wear, missing parts and restorations, old pigments. 130 x 81 cm Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection.

Estim. 800 - 1 200 EUR

Lot 60 - A birdstone sculpture, possibly from the last period of the Mound Builder culture. Birdstone carvings remain mysterious to this day. They have been found in large numbers from the northeast in Canada's Nova Scotia province to the banks of the Mississippi in the west, testifying to their popularity in ancient times, particularly in the Great Lakes region. Originating from the so-called Hopewell or Mound Builders cultures, these enigmatic bird-shaped sculptures, often with protruding eyes, were interpreted as hunting thruster handles, headdress ornaments and more. They are always carved in exceptional hard stone, veined or porphyritic as is the case here. Their extraordinary plasticity, with its rare and flattering modernity, has also motivated many counterfeits, which often make it impossible to guarantee their authenticity in the absence of a discovery in their original context. Here, however, we note the very fine quality of the porphyry-type stone with its black and marbled inclusions, as well as the very fine polish of the entire surface. Stylistically, this example from the Jean Roudillon collection is comparable to a very similar one from the John Wise collection, also carved in a porphyry-type stone. Probable period, 1500 to 500 B.C., Michigan or Ohio (Great Lakes region,) U.S.A. Porphyry stone with black and marbled inclusions, very fine polished patina, handwritten label by Jean Roudillon inscribed: Oswego Michigan Mound Builder. L.: 12 cm See for five other examples in: the online collections of the Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac in Paris, including four donated by John and Dominique de Ménil to the Musée de l'Homme in 1966, and one from the former D. H. Khanweiler collection donated by Louise and Michel Leiris. See for the copy from the John Wise collection in: vente Loudmer du 5 décembre 1992, lot 226. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection (Acquired in the U.S.A. according to his notes)

Estim. 2 000 - 3 000 EUR

Lot 61 - An enigmatic sculpture in the form of a monumental pearl. This monumental pearl in the Jean Roudillon collection, which appears to be one of the largest in his corpus, along with another from the William Spratling collection in Taxco El Viejo, are far too heavy to be worn. According to Carlo Gay, who published them both in his book Mezcala, they are not objects of use or manufacture, but symbolic sculptures for magico-religious use, i.e. votive sculptures. Still according to Carlo Gay, other symbolic sculptures with similarities and reciprocities to this corpus also existed in Olmec culture, and would thus be intimately linked throughout history. Other comparable beads, known as metamorphic stone beads, were also discovered in offering 16 of the Templo Mayor archaeological zone, within a "cosmogram", a quadrangular box where they would symbolize the four horizontal regions of the universe. It was therefore much later, in the time of the Mexica (formerly Aztecs), that these beads were rediscovered, and they seem to have crossed all the eras of pre-Hispanic Mexico, as Carlo Gay suggested. Mezcala, Guerrero region, 300 BC to 300 AD, Mexico Stone, green porphyry, small age-related dents and erosions, fine polished surface and age-related traces of oxidation. Max. diameter 14.8 cm See : Mezcala Ancient stone sculpture from Guerrero, Mexico Ed. Balsas Publications 1992, pp. 204-206. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection before 1970 Publication and exhibition : Reproduced p. 238 n° 238 in: Mezcala Ancient stone sculpture from Guerrero Mexico, Carlos Gay and Frances Pratt, Ed. Balsas 1992 Exhibited and published on the back cover, Rennes Enchères sale catalog October 28, 2018 lot 204.

Estim. 1 500 - 1 800 EUR

Lot 62 - A classic anthropomorphic and zoomorphic statuette, representing a man and an amphibian. This statuette, a classic of Colima art and a fine example of its kind, depicts a seated male figure, with arms and hands resting heavily on his knees and a hallucinated facial expression. When lying down, it clearly and unequivocally represents a batrachian, a frog. It's the theme of individual transformation in ancient shamanic cultures that is addressed here, a theme often over-fantasized. The taking of mushrooms (well known and often depicted in Colima art) or other hallucinogenic psychotropic drugs, obviously sacred and certainly religiously supervised in these ancient times, sends the patient or simple dripper back to his or her innermost nature. Active elements such as psilocybin awaken the ancestral connections that make a human being a full-fledged being of nature. It's more a question of nature reigning within us, and the notion of a "great whole" to which we all belong, than of a so-called shamanic transformation per se. In pre-Hispanic Indian cultures, taking a psychotropic drug was often therapeutic and supervised by a shaman, enabling a psychologically ill person to reconnect with his or her social environment, offering a real rebirth, and thus a transformation could indeed result. The bufotoxins contained in the mucus of certain toads and psilocybin provide access to deep memories, and it's not surprising that the amphibian was chosen as a theme to evoke our origins. Colima, 100 BC to 250 AD, Mexico White speckled green stone, small old erosion on the right foot, very fine old oxidation, and very fine old polished patina. H. 7.8 cm For other fine examples, see pp. 164 and 166 in: Chefs-d'œuvre Inédits Art Précolombien Mexique Guatemala, G. Berjonneau and J.L. Sonnery, Ed. Art 135 1985. Provenance: Jean Roudillon Collection before 1970

Estim. 1 200 - 1 800 EUR

Lot 68 - A votive figurine called Tunjo by the Muisca Indians. Flat Tunjo figurines such as this one, which could represent a variety of subjects, were buried in jars before burial, or thrown into lakes before the enthronement of a new ruler. Found in large numbers, and present today in numerous public and private collections, this corpus has long been considered a major one in Colombia, due to the importance given to this culture by ancient Spanish chronicles. André Emmerich, one of the world's leading experts on pre-Hispanic art, rightly reminds us that this is a regional style that is ultimately rather poor when compared to other cultures and traditions of pre-Hispanic goldsmithing in Colombia. But they do constitute a corpus of "unfortunately" mythical objects, the source of the fantasies and appetites of the conquistadors - the famous myth of the gold of El Dorado. Indeed, the Muisca Indians, long known as Chibcha after their linguistic group, who worshipped a god Chibchachun, the god of trade as well as the god of goldsmiths, are the only Colombian culture described in detail by the Spanish conquerors in ancient chronicles. Living in a temperate valley, ideal for agriculture, the Muisca lived at the time of the conquest in the prosperous highland basin of Bogota, but unfortunately still organized at the time of the conquest into several small competing states. André Derain, whose collection Jean Roudillon appraised at the sale of his collection in 1955, owned an entire collection, and it is possible that this Tunjo, long present in Jean Roudillon's collection, may also have belonged to him. Muisca, circa 1000 to 1550 A.D., Colombia Gold-rich Tumbaga (alloy of gold, silver and copper). H. 7.5 cm For Tunjo figurines, see pp. 83-88 in: Sweat of The Sun and Tears of The Moon, Gold and Silver in Pre-Columbian Art, André Emmerich, Hacker Art Book, New York 1977. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection before 1960

Estim. 1 500 - 2 000 EUR

Lot 69 - A representation of a raft with a dignitary seated in the center flanked by four other figures. It was Sebastian Mojano de Belalcazar, one of Pizarro's lieutenants, who heard in Quito this legendary account of a ceremony involving the Muisca lord of Guadavita, one of the smaller Muisca states that had been absorbed by a larger neighbor shortly before the Spanish conquest. Like the Inca lords, the lord of Guadavita claimed to have descended directly from the sun, and in a sacrificial ritual, adorned with all his gold jewels, he was led on a raft by four dignitaries to the center of the lake "at the top of the mountain", where he was sprinkled with gold powder, and receiving the sun's rays, he stood upright like an idol, shining brightly before the gaze of his people gathered on the shores of the lake. It was this legend, then, that motivated Mojano De Belalcazar to set out with two hundred of his intrepid and rapacious co-religionists to conquer the gold of El Dorado. André Emmerich writes: "In 1856 an extraordinary gold object was discovered in Lake Siecha, long present in German museum collections, but lost during the Second World War. It consisted of five Tunjo-type figures on a raft representing a chief and his companions". This obviously echoes the legend, but the drawing based on a photograph of the object in question, published by André Emmerich in his seminal work Sweat of The Sun and Tears of The Moon, Gold and Silver in Pre-Columbian Art (p. 88 fig. 107), does not correspond to his description of the object, but to that of a dignitary surrounded by at least nine figures on a circular raft. Our raft, on the other hand, features five figures. Could this be the famous raft described by Emmerich, or another legend? Jean Roudillon, a history enthusiast, having certainly followed this lead, had the Muisca raft in his collection tested by a laboratory specializing in the scientific analysis of ancient or supposedly ancient objets d'art. The results of these analyses appeared to be consistent with the ancient manufacturing techniques of an authentic piece and are described as such by the people who carried out the study (see this analysis report sold with the object). André Emmerich reminds us that for a long time, the watermarks on tunjos misled many authors who misrepresented the manufacturing techniques of these objects, which are in fact always cast in a single piece with no watermarks added later. Muisca, presumed period 1000 to 1550 A.D. (no guarantee), Colombia Tumbaga (alloy of gold, copper and agent) H. 4.5 and L. 6 cm See pp. 83-88 for Tunjo figurines, and p. 88 fig. 107 for a drawing of a work from the corpus lost during the war and originally in German museum collections in: Sweat of The Sun and Tears of The Moon, Gold and Silver in Pre-Columbian Art, André Emmerich, Hacker Art Book, New York 1977. See: a CIRAM analysis report, dated 02 / 08 / 2018, concordant according to its authors with ancient manufacturing techniques and compatible again according to its authors with the presumed period. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 1 200 - 1 500 EUR

Lot 70 - A sculpture representing the head of a "fang deity". Apart from the Tiahuanaco culture, lithic art was not very widespread in ancient Peru, particularly in the Recuay culture, but also in the ancient horizon or "formative" period, with the great Chavin culture, which extended over a very wide territory and gave rise to an original art form that greatly influenced the art of succeeding cultures, such as the Mochica. Divinities with mouths adorned with fangs appear at this formative period on numerous sculptures, such as soft stone vases, and despite the absence of metal at this time, also on the very many heads that adorned the walls of religious buildings, the most famous of which is the temple of Chavin de Huantar. The head of the fanged divinity in the Jean Roudillon collection, made of basalt and sculpted by bush-hammering, is impressive in its presence and volume, and stands out for its rare iconography. Its anthropomorphic nose and the striations between its two fangs could represent the sacrificial blood flowing from the deity's mouth. The characteristic treatment of the eyes in concentric circles is comparable, albeit more meticulous here, to the eyes of many monoliths from the Recuay culture, heir to this tradition of stone sculpture. Chavin culture, ancient horizon, 900 to 400 B.C., Peru Stone (basalt), missing dents and visible ancient accidents, very fine oxidation and ancient erosion H. 33 cm See pp. 6 and 7 for a stone vase and examples of fang-embellished tenon heads in: Inca -Peru 3000 Ans d'Histoire, S. Purini, Musée Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, Ed. Imschoot uitgevers 1990. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection before 1970

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 EUR

Lot 71 - An anthropomorphic monolith sculpture, representing a cross-legged figure with his hands resting on his knees, wearing a so-called winged headdress. This monolithic sculpture from the Jean Roudillon collection is part of a corpus of well-known sculptures, quite numerous, but very rare in private collections. Another of these sculptures, however, existed in the former collection of Joseph Mueller, a very old acquaintance and client of Jean Roudillon. Perpetuating a tradition of Chavin lithic art, none of these monoliths have been discovered in their original context, and the attribution of this stone sculpture tradition to the Recuay culture is arbitrary, even if none of the specialists who have studied these sculptures dispute it. There are two main styles of two carving traditions that would have coexisted over three periods. The Huaraz style, whose presence is reported throughout the Callejon de Huaylas, and the Aija style, on the western slopes of the Cordillera Negra. Despite the surface erosion caused by centuries of weathering, this sculpture, like the one in the Joseph Mueller collection, features a distinctive headdress with engraved decoration, as well as a clearly sculpted sex figure, still clearly visible between its crossed legs, in a ceremonial posture. These enigmatic figures, seated cross-legged or not, feet turned inwards or outwards, sculpted naked or wearing scarves and pectorals, were they guardians, representations of ancestors, votive or funerary sculptures, their mystery accompanies them. Recuay, Aija style, early intermediate 400 BC to 300 AD, Peru Stone, age-related oxidation of the stone, small accidents, beautiful patina and significant age-related erosion H. 47 cm See pp. 4, 5, 100 and 101 in: Inca-Peru 3000 Ans d'Histoire, S. Purini, Musée Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, Ed. Imschoot uitgevers 1990. See for the copy from the Joseph Mueller collection acquired before 1952 (inv. 532-54) p. 92 and 93 fig.235 of Vol 2 of the Sotheby's catalog of the sale of the Barbier-Mueller collection on March 22, 2013 lot 295. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection before 1960

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 EUR

Lot 72 - A cast iron figure of a toad, probably a weight for weighing nourishing foodstuffs, in keeping with the motifs on its back. This rare object has a channel running vertically through it, suggesting that this object, unique in the literature, a dense, heavy, solid cast iron, must have been a weight. Numerous balance flails for weighing wool, coca and many other items have already been discovered. Careful observation reveals motifs of well-known agricultural products from pre-Hispanic Peru, such as corn, cucurbits and other squash, beans and what appears to be a yucca root or tumbo plant, chillies and probably potatoes. The toad symbolizes water and humidity, necessary for abundant crops, and its representation with horns and fangs links it directly to a divinity. A toad-shaped deity with fangs is well known from the Mochica period, but what look like fangs here could be links that close the toad's mouth. Also visible between the toad's legs on the left flank is what appears to be a star-shaped weapon mace, which existed from the time of the Mochica kings to the Incas. The toad's legs, although well fused in three dimensions, are designed as flat surfaces (two-dimensional), and most certainly link this rare work to cultures other than the Mochica culture, which was the only one of Peru's pre-Hispanic cultures to conceive art in a truly three-dimensional way, and without directly receiving its influences from textile art. Copper was the third most widely used metal in ancient Peru. Its composition differed from period to period, and mixed with other alloys an arsenic-rich bronze called "arsenical bronze" existed, but it did not contain tin, as is the case with bronze. Vicus 200 BC to 400 AD, or Mochica-Wari 600 to 900 AD, Peru Copper alloy, very fine old green oxidation and superb old patina L.: 6.5 cm and H.: 3.5 cm For information on metallurgy in Peru, see pp. 127-136 in: Ancien Pérou Vie Pouvoir et Mort, Musée de L'Homme, Ed. Nathan 1987. See for balance flails p. 82 and 83 fig. 30 and 31 in: La Sculpture en Bois Dans L'Ancien Pérou, André Emmerich, Johann Levy et Sergio Purini, Ed. Somogy & Johann Levy Art Primitif 2006, Paris. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 2 000 - 3 000 EUR

Lot 74 - A head-shaped pearl-grelot, part of an ancient necklace for a dignitary, priest or ruler. According to Sergio Purini, human heads such as this one, worn as necklaces, seem to correspond to the first images of prisoners studied in Mochica ceramics, and destined to be scarified. It is possible that these heads, bead-globes worn as necklaces, represent decapitated heads, a form of sacrifice widespread among the Mochica, whose practice of human sacrifice has been attested since the excavations carried out at Sipan and the Huaca de La Luna at Moche. This small head from the Jean Roudillon collection can be compared to another head, also with a striated headdress, slightly larger (4.5 cm) but with shell and turquoise inlays in the eyes and mouth, in the Dora and Paul Janssen collection. Note that the head in the Jean Roudillon collection has its eyelashes and eyebrows well indicated with engravings that punctuate the entire eye contour. These heads, made of gold and other alloys such as silver or gilded copper, were first laminated, then worked in repoussé and soldered to join the two parts containing the bell's bell. Mochica, Early Intermediate 100 BC to 800 AD, Peru Gold-silver-copper alloy, traces of oxidation visible at the corners of the mouth, nose and orifices H. 3.3 cm For the bell head from the Jansen collection, see p. 253 in: Les Maîtres de L'Art précolombien La Collection Dora et Paul Janssen, Fonds Mercator 5 Continents Musée Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels 2005. Provenance : - Jean Lions Collection, Saint Tropez - Collection Jean Roudillon (donated by the latter)

Estim. 4 000 - 6 000 EUR

Lot 75 - A woven and embroidered headband depicting six figures, each with a trophy head attached to their waist and a sacrificial weapon on their left arm. The subject is classic Nazca, with armed warriors holding trophy heads, and could also be sacrificial priests. Here, the figures are dressed in fringed ponchos and wear high headdresses that resemble feather crowns. The sacrificers' weapons, attached by a strap and hanging from their left arm, answering to each trophy-head, also resemble birds. The hidden, double meaning of things is widely observed in Peru's ancient arts, and particularly appreciated in the Wari culture. Particular attention is often required to the different levels of reading, allowing us to catch a glimpse, and better enlighten us, of the subtle spirituality of the artists and the spirit of the beliefs of these past civilizations. However, it's difficult to pinpoint the period and region of origin of this beautiful fragment, which was probably part of an ancient burial mantle or headdress, given the successive and overlapping styles and contributions from one culture to another in the great textile arts, which undoubtedly represent an essential and often founding art of pre-Hispanic art in Peru. Nazca or Proto Nazca, 100 BC to 800 AD, or Wari 600 to 1000 AD, Peru Fabric, llama or alpaca wool, probably minor restorations, framed and mounted under glass. 37 x 13.5 cm (for the weaving) and 50 x 26 cm (for the frame under glass) See : Animal Myth and Magic, Images from Pre-Columbian Textiles, Vanessa Drake Moraga, Ed. Ololo Press 2005 or Pre-Columbian Art Of South America, Alan Lapiner, Ed. Harry Abrams New York 1976, See for an example of a double-reading Wari motif p. 42 and 43 in La Sculpture en Bois Dans L'Ancien Pérou, André Emmerich, Johann Levy and Sergio Purini, Ed. Somogy & Johann Levy Art Primitif Paris 2006. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection before 1960

Estim. 600 - 800 EUR

Lot 77 - A conopa mortar representing an alpaca, used to prepare lime or ashes for coca chewing. Llamas and alpacas have long been domesticated in the high plateaus and valleys of the Andes (with the exception of vicuñas and guanacos, which remained wild), notably for their wool, which was essential to life in the high plateaus, but also fundamental to the economy of pre-Hispanic cultures in Peru. This type of stone mortar in the shape of a llama or alpaca is often described in literature as a conopa, but this term actually describes small stone sculptures illustrating the daily life of the Incas. This type of mortar was quite common at the time, and the one in the Jean Roudillon collection is one of the finest examples, and a classic of Inca art. Underneath the base, there are deep traces of ancient cut-outs, testifying to the practices of its owner during the Inca period, which in no way detract from the object's beauty. Culture, Inca, 1450 to 1533 A.D., Cuzco region, Peru Black stone, old nicks under the base, minor wear and minor old accidents, large ash or lime residues inside the mortar, very fine old patina from use H. 8.2 cm and L. 13.6 cm See for another comparable mortar p. 121 n° 352 in Ancien Pérou Vie Pouvoir et Mort, musée de L'Homme, Ed. Nathan 1987, or two other very fine examples, including a very close one n° 38 in: Peru Sun Gods and Saints, exhibition catalog, André Emmerich, New York 1969 Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 800 - 1 000 EUR

Lot 86 - A "fetish gold" mask In his memoirs, Jean Roudillon reminds us that Charles Ratton, among his few writings, published a text in Présence Africaine in 1951 entitled "L'Or fétiche" ("Fetish gold"). A text that Pierre Amrouche rightly referred to in the catalog of the sale of the Vérité collection, where five of these masks from a "royal Akan treasure" reappeared, to explain the notion of "fetish gold". Referring to the etymology of the word "fetish", facticio in Portuguese translates as "wild idol", considered to be false as opposed to Catholic imagery considered to be true, "fetish gold" would thus designate a false gold because a low-title gold, and about which Charles Ratton quoted Willem Bosman in Voyage de Guinée (translated from French in 1705), a work in which the terms "Assiantés" and "Asiantés" first appear. "Assiantés" and "Aschiantis" appear for the first time, and the author complains about the poor metal alloys used by the Africans. The rediscovery of the "fetish gold" mask from the Jean Roudillon collection enriches a corpus of rare objects, cast in an alloy of low-title gold, copper, silver and iron, of which there were five other examples in the Vérité collection, at least two of which came from Madeleine Rousseau, another close relative of Jean Roudillon. The mask in the Roudillon collection has the same casting defects as those in the Vérité collection, and is stylistically close to the most classical of the five (lot 142). His well-modeled eyes are encircled by a braid, and he wears a rectangular scarification on his forehead and two at an angle on his face, as well as braided moustaches on either side of his mouth and five braids of beard on his chin. These masks are obviously reminiscent of the Wallace Collection's famous gold mask, a funerary portrait from the treasure of King Kofi Karikari, also showing casting defects. Whether a simple head, a trophy head, a ceremonial object to enhance the prestige of a dignitary, or a funerary portrait, our knowledge remains patchy concerning these objects, which probably came from family treasuries where they were kept in the Dja. The Akan, who came from Ghana at the end of the 18th century, are said to have taught the Baoulé how to melt gold at the time of the legendary queen Abla Pokou, from whom the Baoule name originates. Gold is revered, feared and considered alive by the Akan. "It moves in the ground, appears in the air in the form of a rainbow and speaks barking like a dog". Akan or Baoulé, Ghana or Côte d'Ivoire Gold alloy (8.46 ct) with copper, silver and iron, visible cracks and casting defects, old patina from use H. 12 cm For Dja and Akan gold, see pp. 220-245 in: Corps Sculptés Corps Parés Corps Masqués, Galerie nationale du Grand Palais Paris, Ed. Association Française d'Action Artistique 1989. For masks from the Vérité collection, see pp. 134-139, lots 142-146 in: Arts Primitifs Collection Vérité, Pierre Amrouche, sale catalog June 17-18, 2006, Enchères Rives Gauche. For the mask from the Wallace collection, see p. 325 in: Trésor de Côte d'Ivoire, François Neyt, Ed. Fonds Mercator 2014 Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 EUR

Lot 87 - A crocodile-shaped pendant with filigree and openwork. Among the Akan, lost-wax casting and filigree work reached technical levels at least equal to the social status enjoyed by the artisan founders. Gold is sacred to the Akan, and in addition to its political and economic importance, with the control of gold-mining sites that were exploited by slaves, it has great symbolic and religious importance. Jewelry - rings, necklaces, bracelets and pendants - was worn on special occasions by kings and notables, and kept in the dja for the rest of the time. From the beginning of the 20th century, the possession of gold extended from customary power to the individual, who could use it to prove his social ascension. Among the Ebrié, for example, during the andimantchi festival, the family and clan treasure is taken out of the dja and displayed for all to see for one or two days in the patriarch's courtyard. Pendants, such as this fine example, were hung from the neck, arm, headdress or even from a ceremonial sword, and are a classic art form of Akan culture. Each subject carries a symbol, and the crocodile represents the queen mother. Akan, Ghana or Ivory Coast Gold alloy (13.07ct) with copper and silver, old accident and small visible lack. H. 11.3 cm See p. 216 to 223 in: Corps Sculptés Corps Parés Corps Masqués, Galerie nationale du Grand Palais Paris, Ed. Association Française d'Action Artistique 1989 Provenance : - Roger Bédiat Collection - Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 1 500 - 1 800 EUR

Lot 88 - A cane knob, a badge of authority, representing an important figure. Representing a seated dignitary, ornamented and scarred on the face, neck and body, he holds a young girl in front of him by the waist, described in the literature as either an assistant or a child. With her arms raised and holding an object on her head, in this case a casket or footrest evoking wealth and prestige, she is both an assistant and a child. Embodied by a prepubescent girl who has not yet settled down, this "spiritual messenger" protects this dignitary from witchcraft "by the mystical force of her purity" and opens the way for him by introducing beauty into the assemblies. Timothy Garrard explains that the headdress, which may have contributed to the confusion and is often described as a Western contribution, as is the treatment of the moustache and beard, is in fact a woven straw boater that the Akyé made before the arrival of Europeans. It is therefore undoubtedly a very ancient Akyé chief, not a representation of a Portuguese or other Westerner, and certainly the portrait of an eminent historical or legendary figure whose memory has been sadly lost over the centuries of the history of the Akyé people. Indeed, this ivory cane knob, undoubtedly the oldest in a series (constituting a corpus of a dozen works according to François Neyt), the carving of which spans several centuries, is the source of all the others, the "mother object". This corpus of well-identified objects carved in ivory, with its characteristic typology, has long attracted the attention of many specialists and art historians. Of the three examples exhibited at the Smithsonian in Washington during the Treasures exhibition in 2008, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, and although they are not as old as the one in the Jean Roudillon collection, the ones from the Laura and James Ross collection are particularly noteworthy, forming a male and female pair and thus completing the information on a couple and not just on the portrait of a former dignitary whose memory these knobs commemorate. It must have been an important personage, historical or mythological, for this archetype to serve as a model for other cane knobs carved over as many generations, and a careful reading of the oldest of them all allows us to remove certain doubts and attempt to trace the thread of history. It's hardly surprising that this knob from the Jean Roudillon collection previously came from the Roger Bédiat collection, the source of so many masterpieces and the most important early collection of Ivory Coast art. This collection was inventoried and appraised by Jean Roudillon in 1962. This sculpture is fascinating in more ways than one, sublime in its detail and antiquity, it not only radiates beauty, it illuminates the past and the future, and is unquestionably one of the finest jewels in Jean Roudillon's collection. Attié (Akyé), Ivory Coast. 18th century or earlier. Ivory, significant age desiccation of the ivory, small visible lack at the cap (old breakage) and probable restoration of a small breakage at the front of the canotier, slight age cracks, visible restoration of a small lack at the front of the base of the pommel, otherwise excellent condition, superb old patina, presented on a red stone base. H. 13.6 cm See pp. 75, 78-79 and 81 for three examples from the same corpus in: Treasures 2008, Sharon F. Patton Brina M. Freyer, Smithsonian - Ed. National Museum of African Art Washington 2008. For two other examples from the former Joseph Mueller collection, both acquired before 1939 and 1942, see pp. 175 and 176 in: Arts de la Côte d'Ivoire Tome 2, Ed. Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva 1993. Provenance : - Roger Bédiat Collection - Jean Roudillon Collection Publications : - Art d'Afrique No. 53 Spring 1985 p. 53 for an advertisement by Jean Roudillon - Tribal Art magazine n° 82, Winter 2016 p. 43 for an advertisement by Jean Roudillon.

Estim. 30 000 - 50 000 EUR

Lot 89 - A notable spear carved with a female figure holding a stool. This ceremonial spear, the emblem of authority of an Akye chief, is exceptional in more ways than one, and constitutes one of the finest and oldest examples now known. The themes that adorn this spear, undoubtedly from the 19th century, are recurrent in the arts of the so-called lagoon cultures, and remained popular well into the 20th century in the arts of this region. This is a young girl, richly scarified at the temples, around the neck and the rest of the body, and superbly coiffed with braids and asymmetrical side buns. She is an elder's assistant, wearing her stool on her head, another badge of authority, and bringing beauty to the assemblies. She symbolizes a prepubescent girl who is not yet regulated, and protects her owner, who holds his spear in front of him, from witchcraft by the "mystical force of her purity". Further down, in high relief, is carved what is certainly a powder keg, symbolizing wealth and power. The archaism and artistic qualities of this work of the finest style must be emphasized, with its closed-lidded eyes imbued with a profound serenity, highlighted by superb, large superciliary arches joining its coffee-bean-shaped temporal scarification and underlined by finely sculpted, protruding cheekbones, as well as the finesse of the treatment of its tapering arms, like that of the chasing of the engravings adorning the braids or those of the openwork sculpted stool. We can also be delighted, for once, that this spear has not been truncated, preserved by its two successive owners who passed it on to us, it comes to us complete, with its two irons. Its archaic style and sublime patina accompany its prestigious and rare provenance, that of Dr. Stéphen Chauvet, almost as a logical consequence. Attié (Akyé), Ivory Coast Wood, iron, old cracks, small visible accidents and minor wear, superb old patina. H. 146 cm See : Arts de la Côte d'Ivoire Tome 1 et 2, Ed. Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva 1993. Provenance : - Collection of Dr. Stéphen Chauvet - Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 EUR

Lot 90 - An insider's cane from the Poro society or an escort's stick, possibly the cane of a chief and historical figure in the person of King Babemba. Smaller in size than the large tefalipitya canes that celebrate the sambali (champion of the cultivators) who will be "rewarded" by a young unmarried woman at the peak of her beauty represented seated at the top of these canes, the Senoufo cane from the Jean Roudillon collection is adorned with a female figure sculpted in a standing position, well poised, like a deblé statue. This is almost certainly an initiate's cane from the Poro society, or an escort's cane whose feminine image evokes the supernatural powers of women, such as those of the sandobele, the witch-women, who perceive hidden dangers and pass by to ward off the spells cast by sorcerers. This magnificent cane with its lacquered patina is in the grand old style, with its large, stylized arms, powerfully arched shoulders and cylindrically sculpted ears, unequivocally reminiscent of the finest Déblé statues from the so-called masters' workshop of Sikasso. In 1964, it was exhibited in three American museums as part of the traveling exhibition Senufo Sculptures from West Africa, organized by Robert Goldwater, director of the Museum of Primitive Art in New York. The provenance of this cane, lent by the Le Corneur Roudillon gallery at the time, links it in the exhibition catalog to King Babemba, a historic figure if ever there was one in Mali, who in 1893 succeeded his brother Tiéba Traoré, fourth king of Kénédougou, who had led the kingdom to its apogee and set up his capital in Sikasso, where he had his palace built to resist the attacks of Samory Touré. King Babemba Traoré committed suicide in 1898 rather than be caught, preferring death to shame, after fighting the colonial army. It must have been Olivier Le Corneur and Jean Roudillon who passed on this provenance to Robert Goldwater, a provenance they had acquired with the object. Real or not, Goldwater, a serious man and art historian, must have considered this provenance to be authentic in order to validate and publish it, even though no other document can really attest to it. In Jean Roudillon's notes: "Africa, Ivory Coast, Senufo Cane of King Babemba of Sikasso Reported by a French officer in 1898. Published fig. 135 in "The Museum of Primitive Art" by Robert Goldwater, New York, 1964. Sénoufo, Ivory Coast Wood, iron, old oxidation, wear, small accident to the tip of the right breast and a native iron restoration to the right arm, very fine old patina. H. 113 cm For statues of the Sikasso masters workshop, see pp. 117-137 in: Senoufo Massa et les statues du Poro, Burkhard Gottschalk, Ed. Verlag U. Gottschalk Düsseldorf. Gottschalk Düsseldorf 2006 Provenance : - Former Galerie Le Corneur Roudillon collection - Jean Roudillon Collection Exhibitions and publication : - Senufo Sculpture from West Africa, Robert Goldwater, Ed. The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1964, p. 90 n° 135 - Senufo Sculpture from West Africa, 1963, traveling exhibition in : - New York, NY The Museum of Primitive Art, February 20 - May 5, 1963 - Chicago, IL, Art Institute of Chicago, July 12 - August 11, 1963 - Baltimore, MD Baltimore Museum of Art, September 17 to October 27, 1963.

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 EUR

Lot 91 - A senanbele equestrian fig Representations of horsemen (senanbele or tuguble) carved in wood or cast in metal embody ndebele bush genies, a spirit of nature here on his mount like an emissary. These sculptures are linked to divinatory rites. Their carving was ordered by the diviner, and they were destined for personal altars, but in this case, for the rarer wooden equestrian sculptures, for the diviner's altar. The horse is associated with speed, dignity and prestige, but also with violence and disorder, "having been used in pre-colonial times by warriors and slave thieves of whom the Senoufos were victims". The equestrian figure in the Jean Roudillon collection, which is particularly old and in a beautiful archaic style, deserves to be mentioned here in connection with an eminently important notion in Senufo culture, that of sityi, the "creative intelligence" provided by God. A notion whose evocation is all the more appropriate here as Senufo artists consider that they receive the impulse, their creative inspiration, directly from the ndebele nature spirits (bush genies), just as the diviner is a medium serving as a channel in contact with the ndebele who "see God" and use the ndebele as their emissary. Sénoufo, Ivory Coast Wood, very fine old oxidation, old and very fine patina. H. 25 cm See p. 30 to 53 for a chapter by Aniata Glaze on the religious and metaphysical foundations of Senufo art in: Arts de la Côte d'Ivoire Tome 1, Ed. Musée Barbier-Mueller Genève 1993 Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 6 000 - 8 000 EUR

Lot 92 - A Zaouli mask, the ancestor There are two categories of Gouro masks. First, there are the more secular entertainment masks, managed by artists' associations, such as the Gyela lu Zaouli (Gyela daughter of Zaouli) mask created in the 1950s, whose art is constantly evolving with society, and whose prodigious dance is now known the world over. And then there are the masks of ancient traditions such as Zaouli, Gu or Zamble, placed under the responsibility of a family lineage, owned by a specific individual, associated with ancestral cults, and requiring sacrifices, feeding "deities" or "nature genies", to ensure their protection. In the past, these spiritual entities implied the notion of trance for the mask wearer, who could be joined or "inhabited" by one of these entities, which the lineage's earliest ancestors had once encountered, hence the worship paid to them. During these trances, the Zaouli mask could detect sorcerers and drive them away, but there is little information in the literature on the ancient tradition of the Zaouli mask, which is quite rare in European collections. However, there is a consensus that Zaouli is the opposing force to Zamble, Gu's husband, when Zaouli is not present. Zaouli is originally Gu's husband, but he is above all the ancestor, and is found mainly in northern Gouro country, as well as among the Wan. Described and even sculpted today as an ugly mask, the origins of the founding myth of Zaouli "the ancient" seem to have been lost, the practices of a vanished cult. Its ancient tradition was certainly forgotten in the course of the complex migratory history of the Gouro, who were already driven westwards in the 18th century by the Baoulé, who borrowed the mask tradition from them. Or it may have been totally lost later, during the colonial conquest, when the Gouro "valiantly resisted the soldiers who massively burnt down their villages". To date, two fine Zaouli masks have stood out in the history of collections and in the literature, both having finally joined two institutions, one in the collection of the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and the other at the Art Institute of Chicago, both recently exhibited and reproduced side by side, p. 178 in the exhibition catalog The Language of Beauty in African Art. The discovery of this masterpiece, undoubtedly the oldest and most beautiful of all, overturns preconceived ideas and preconceptions about Zaouli masks, and unquestionably downgrades those hitherto used as references. It sets a new standard in our knowledge of Ivorian artistic heritage, and Gouro in particular. Here, we rediscover the very origin of a transverse opening between the two superimposed planes of the mask, a characteristic of early Zaouli masks, and a sculptural concept no doubt also behind the creation of the glin masks of the goli Baoule. Also the triangle for the eye opening, here with white contours the color dedicated to the ancestors, reminiscent of the mask in the former W. Mestach and L. Van de Velde collections now at the Smithsonian. A superb engraved crest links the sharp-fanged mouth of the leopard to the elegant horns of the harnessed guib, as on the mask from the Art Institute of Chicago. But the notion of the hidden-shown by two successive openings on two superimposed planes for the gaze is treated here in an absolutely unique way, inducing the very narration of the trance, the idea of a being visible beneath the mask, who "dwells" within it. Many ancient masks have been rightly called "mother masks" by certain specialists, and while this term has often been overused, it is indeed the case here. The oldest masks trace the lines that define the archetype and serve as models for subsequent generations; they are the bearers of secrets and codes, and generally carry within them an intrinsic language, a real narrative. The oldest and most beautiful of Zaouli masks is reappearing today after decades. It emerges not from a sacred grove, but from a secret garden, that of Jean Roudillon's collection, and even if it cannot fully bear witness to its history, it bears witness to a past and bygone history, it is history. Gouro, Ivory Coast Wood, polychromy, restoration to one horn (broken and glued), original part, wear, small missing parts on the back.

Estim. 150 000 - 250 000 EUR

Lot 94 - A female statuette from a Bombou-toro workshop Wearing a labret at the base of her hyperstylized face, and a hairstyle forming a crest in a braided plait falling to the back, the look and presence of this ingeniously modern Dogon statuette are unmistakable. In keeping with the hieratic and highly synthetic styles of Bombou-toro, this previously unseen ancient Dogon sculpture, from the former collection of René Rasmussen, completes a corpus of rare statuettes from a workshop that initiated a style with highly distinctive characteristics. The most extraordinary of this corpus is undoubtedly the maternity piece from the former Charles B. Benenson collection, which he donated to the museum. Benenson's collection, which he donated to the Yale University Museum. The cylinder-shaped knees are among the most emblematic details of this workshop. According to Hélène Leloup, these knee protuberances refer to the founding myth that "the first human creatures had limbs without joints and were formed when the blacksmith, descending from heaven, had his arms and legs broken by the anvil, enabling men to work", and symbolize the magical duge stones. "The duges are placed on the joints because this is the most important part of man." (Griaule). Compared to the statuette in the C. Benenson collection, we find beyond the same almost "robotic" or "cubist" position, with the angle of the elbow still insisting on the articulation, and the arms folded forward, as well as the nose sculpted as an arrow, a stylization of the feet (and the ankle joint) in a triangle that covers the entire side of the base. The treatment of the shoulder blades is comparable, and further emphasizes the importance of the main joints, so there's no doubt that this is narrative art. Viewed from the side, the treatment of the legs and buttocks of the statuettes in the Jean Roudillon and Benenson collections is equally supple. The patina of the Jean Roudillon statuette does not ooze like that of the C. Benenson collection. Benenson collection, but it nevertheless bears witness to an obvious and superb age. Dogon, Mali Wood, very fine erosion and old cracks, superb old patina. H. 37.5 cm See p. 130 n° 56 for the statuette from the Benenson collection in Close up-Lessons in the Art of Seeing African Sculpture from an American collection and the Horstmann collection, Vogel and Thompson, Ed. The Center for African Art New York 1990 See for another bombou toro statue and comments no. 78 in: Statuaire Dogon, Hélène Leloup, Ed. Hamez 1994 Provenance : - René Rasmussen Collection - Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 15 000 - 25 000 EUR

Lot 95 - A Ci-Wara dance crest depicting an antelope and an anteater. We won't dwell too much here on the traditional aspects surrounding these famous sculptures, Ci-Wara dance crests, the Jo cult and the secret society of the same name, also known as Tyi-Wara. The Tyi-Wara society is one of the intermediary societies after initiation, and is more open and inclusive than other secret societies, integrating women and allowing children to join as well, particularly as the Tyi-Wara society deals mainly with agriculture and much of the farm work is also done by women. It is the particular creative genius of an artist who is the focus of our attention here, and who must be admired, just as he was the focus of Jean Roudillon's interest in preserving this rare work in particular. It is in the former collection of Gaston De Havenon, well known for his taste and collection of Ci-Wara crests, that we find the only other Ci-Wara crest by the same hand (or workshop), published many times since, that is comparable to this one. This work obviously caught the attention of another great connoisseur and connoisseur, forever attached to the history of knowledge of the Bambara world, and at the origin of a unique comparative study of these extraordinary sculptures that are the Ci-Wara cimers, in the person of Dominique Zahan, who identified it under the drawing referenced IM133 in his essential work: Antilopes Du Soleil. The various animals, bearers of numerous symbols, which inspire the artist in his feat of sculpting a Ci-Wara crest, are here probably more than two, and if the Ci-Wara crest formerly in the Gaston De Havenon collection is described in a book as an antelope (black hippotrague) and an anteater, the horns of the Ci-Wara crest from the Jean Roudillon Collection, stretched like swords, are more likely those of the oryx, which disappeared from Mali decades ago. Bambara, Mali Wood, visible missing parts, accidents and restorations to the horns (broken and glued), original parts and restoration of a buckle (in part), beautiful old patina. H. 63 cm See for the other Tyi-wara crest formerly in the G. De Havenon collection in: Antilopes Du Soleil, Arts et Rites Agraires d'Afrique Noire, Dominique Zahan, Ed. A. Schendl, Wien 1980 ref. IM 133 plate 39, and p. 217 n° 201 in: Bamana The Art of Existence in Mali, Jean Paul Colleyn, Ed. Museum for African Art NY 2001. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 8 000 - 12 000 EUR

Lot 97 - A mbulu ngulu reliquary figure. Also known as mboy or omboye in Kota country, the reliquary figure in the Jean Roudillon collection is a superb classic example of Kota Obamba or Bawumbu art. Featuring a face with concave and convex volumes, and using two colors of metal, this reliquary figure enriches the corpus that falls into category number nine according to the classification of the reference work known as "le Chaffin" L'Art Kota Les Figures de Reliquaire, of which a fairly close example can be found in the collections of the British museum in London, as well as the famous Kota with round eyes in the Barbier-Mueller collection. Here, the expressive, singing open mouth is adorned with small dots all around, and similarly all around the crescent and wings. At the back, the lozenge is supplely sculpted, with a slightly convex vertical bar carved in relief, another fine example of the ancient style. Jean Roudillon, who was very attached to this work from the former Albert Sarraut collection, commissioned Louis Perrois to make a study for this superb reliquary figure, which connoisseurs know to be in an ancient, even archaic style, and which is also very well preserved here. Louis Perrois' well-documented study compares this work to other reliquary figures in the former collections of Paul Guillaume, Helena Rubinstein, Arman, Madeleine Rousseau and George Gershwin. In Jean Roudillon's notes: "Africa, Gabon, Kota Reliquary figure in wood covered with brass and copper leaf. Former collection of Albert Sarraut, Minister of Colonies in a government of the Third Republic. Exhibited at the International Sporting Club de Monte Carlo, Antiquaires et Galeries d'Art from July 25 to August 11 1975 and reproduced in the catalog, p. 73. Kota Obamba or Bawumbu, Gabon Wood, brass, red copper, old wear and erosion, very fine old patina. H. 37 cm See p. 146 to 158 for category 9 in: Art Kota Les Figures de Reliquaires, Alain et Françoise Chaffin, Ed. Chaffin Meudon 1979 See: a study by Louis Perrois commissioned by Jean Roudillon and given to the purchaser. Provenance: - Albert Sarraut Collection (collected in the 1920s) - Jean Roudillon Collection (acquired in Paris in the 1950s) Exhibition and publication: Première exposition internationale des antiquaires et des galeries d'art, Sporting Club de Monte Carlo, July 25-August 11, 1975, reproduced in catalog p. 73.

Estim. 40 000 - 60 000 EUR

Lot 98 - A whistle adorned with an nsiba charm representing a couple embracing on a bed. Associated with the Nkisi cult in the Bas-Congo region and related to hunting, these small sculptures called nsiba, found among the Woyo, Sundi, Kongo, Vili, Yombe, but also the Bwendé or Lumbu, consist of the handle of a whistle with protective powers for hunters. Also found in the paraphernalia of the nganga, healer and diviner, these objects, which could represent a multitude of different scenes or subjects (standing or crouching figures, animals, maternities, mating scenes or masks), also had therapeutic virtues. Generally pierced with a hole at the tip of the antelope horn, which constitutes the hunter's whistle, and enables it to be attached to a cord that connects it and crosses the sculpture, the antelope horn shown here is not necessarily his, although it is pierced, but on the side of its opening. When you look closely at this superb, hitherto unpublished Bakongo nsiba, you can't help but notice that this is art, and conceptual art at that. The couple is looking out at the viewer who is watching them, carved vertically, but the couple is lying on a finely carved wooden bed, horizontally. Like the rebus on woyo taampha lids, the scenes depicted on these whistle handles may represent proverbs implying wisdom. With regard to mating scenes, Bertil Söderberg rightly cites this proverb in his reference article on carved whistles from the Lower Congo: "bana i mbongo" - children are wealth. Woyo, Sundi or Kongo, Democratic Republic of Congo Wood, antelope horn, wear, two minor age cracks, minor accidents at base, superb patina. H. 7.6 cm (without antelope horn) and 16 cm overall. See p. 35 n° 9 for another whistle in the former Arman collection with a rather similar but less detailed mating scene, and p. 25 to 44 for the entire article by Bertil Söderberg translated from English by Raoul Lehuard in: Arts D'Afrique No. 9, Spring 1974. Provenance : Jean Roudillon Collection

Estim. 4 000 - 6 000 EUR
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