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Tue 18 Jun

Senoufo kpelie mask Ivory Coast Wood Provenance: John J. Klejman Collection, New York Perls Galleries, New York (inv. n°10759) Private American collection In keeping with the classical style of the corpus, this Kpelie face mask stands out for the delicacy and refinement of its features - for the boldness of its contours and reliefs magnified by the lighter patina of use, for the sculptural dynamics and interiorized expression of the entity represented. Skillfully combining grace, symmetry and sophistication, this type of mask contained the ancestral spirit of the female divinity protecting the male society of the Poro. Material embodiments of the spirit of the "old mother" named Katiéléo - the female substitute for the supreme god in Senoufo mythology - these masks were used for the initiation of young men and at funerals. The oval face is beautifully framed by stylized lateral projections - semicircular, rectangular and triangular, finely engraved with linear grooves and notches. The lower part of the face is adorned with two equally scarified curved elements, probably evoking the legs of the hornbill bird, an important symbol of creation in Senoufo cosmology. The face is a perfect oval, the sculptural depth rendered by alternating concave and convex planes. The strongly rounded forehead, crossed across its entire width by two horizontal linear motifs, is adorned in its center with a diamond-shaped motif sculpted in relief, expressing the femininity contained in the spirit of the mask - Anita Glaze saw in it an allegorical representation of the female vulva, a symbol of fertility. Relief eyes, stretched and slit, surmounted by a double arch of eyebrows carved in a circular arc. Geometric motifs in relief on the cheeks indicate ethnic scarification. The long, straight, aquiline nose, sculpted in high relief, harmoniously follows the concave curve of the face, whose curved tip accommodates the small, half-open rectangular mouth with exposed teeth, whose corners are framed by relief motifs. The highly stylized crest, carved above the skull in the classic kapok tree rasp motif, adds to this profusion of controlled ornamentation. A fine example, a perfect blend of classical Senoufo aesthetics and symbolism, illustrating the quintessential African sculptural style.

Estim. 4 000 - 6 000 EUR

Tue 18 Jun

Hogon Dogon Mali bowl cover Dimensions: 54.5 x 23 x 25 cm Provenance: Private collection, France Private collection, France Christine Valluet Collection, France Galerie Schoffel de Fabry, France This ceremonial bowl lid from the northwestern northwest of the Bandiagara Plateau, in the region centered on Fombori and the Douenza, belongs to a rare and restricted corpus of cups surmounted by an equestrian figure, commonly referred to as the Hogon bowl. The Hogon, an eminent religious leader and a figure invested with power and authority, was rare. Intended to contain the food shared during his investiture and major ceremonies. This sacred object, of which only twenty or so exist, is intimately linked to the person of the Hogon or ôgô, the man who, in the eyes of his community, became the high priest of the Lêwe (or Lèbè), spiritual sovereign and "living ancestor" designated by his fellow men by virtue of his birthright. All that remains of this cup is the finely engraved lid, with symbolic chevron motifs relating to water, the source of the earth's fertility. "Serving agrarian cults, its nature is that of the Earth, feminine when it is fertile, masculine when, during the long weeks preceding the wintering season, it is nothing but aridity". The animated top features a tall man on horseback, his arm brandishing a vanished spear. The Djennenké, who immigrated to the Bandiagara plateau around 1475, were undoubtedly responsible for the adoption of the Moorish horse, the only horse to have acclimatized to the harsh environment of the Sudanese savannah and, above all, to have resisted trypanosomiasis. A mode of transport favoured by the Dogon, who inspired the cliff sculptors who engraved its image in all kinds of materials, at different times, in a wide variety of styles and on a wide variety of supports. The animal embodies the Nommo, son of God, sacrificed and resurrected, brought down to earth in an ark (Paudrat, J.-L., Dogon, Paris, 1994, p. 72) (aduno koro) in the company of the eight primordial ancestors of mankind. He is often depicted with his rider, the Hogon, "natural high priest of the ancestral spirits [...] in the past, his power was absolute as a great political, judicial and religious leader." (Desplagnes, L., Le Plateau Central Nigérien, Paris, 1907, p. 314). There has since been a broad consensus that this Hogon is the horseman depicted on the lid of the bowl studied here, and its exclusive user, particularly during ceremonies involving the sharing of food. The image of the horseman is associated with the power of the Hogon and his powers. The work's great classicism is matched by the singular detail of the rider raising his left arm, and the dark, oily patina that bears witness to its archaism. Numerous native repairs, notably to the back of the animal's tail, reveal the desire to preserve this sacred cup from the ravages of time, in order to pass it on to descendants. This type of bowl is not unique, but Tristan Tzara and Michel Périnet Tzara and Michel Périnet collected them. The richness of its decoration, where chevrons blend with water lines and other traditional motifs, the perfect balance of the composition and the precision of the line are sublimated by a deep, shiny, velvety patina 1Complete legend: "Container carried by a quadruped and closed by a lid carved from the same piece of wood as the mount and rider that decorate it" in Level, A. and Clouzot, H., Sculptures africaines et océaniennes. Colonies françaises et Congo belge, Paris, 1923, p. 21, pl. XIX

Estim. 15 000 - 30 000 EUR

Tue 18 Jun

Spatula, Kitava Island, Trobriand Archipelago Papua New Guinea Ebony wood Height: 34.5 cm 19th century Provenance: Unknown collector's label 'M22'. Collection John & Marcia Friede, Rye, New York, USA Bibliography: Galerie Franck Marcelin, Lime spatulas from Mélanésie, 2013, reproduced under no. 3 Within the large corpus of carved spatulas from South-East Papua New Guinea, this beautiful spatula belongs to the category of House Keepers. Their function, as Franck Marcelin explains, "is to protect their owners from supernatural threats". (In Spatules à chaux de Melanesia, 2013) According to accounts by the Trobriand chief Narubutau, recounted by Harry Beran, it was possible for the owner of an anthropomorphic spatula, endowed with magical powers, to invite a tokwai tree spirit to incarnate in the spatula. This practice was intended to protect against spells and witchcraft. While the spatula's function was more symbolic and apotropaic than utilitarian, the less elaborate examples were used in everyday life to prepare the mixture of lime, areca nut and betel leaf. Betel chewing has many benefits, including reducing hunger, producing a feeling of well-being and increasing work capacity. The tapered spatula, with its rounded tip and delicate central rib, features a crouching human figure carved in the round at the top. This anthropomorphic handle, whose dense, complex sculptural style is characteristic of this region of the Trobriand Islands, contrasts with the purity and elegance of the blade. The figure is depicted crouching, elbows resting on his knees, hands tucked under his chin. The composition is organized around alternating voids and solids, curved and organic forms, whose relief is rendered by the scrolling motifs engraved on the surface.

Estim. 1 800 - 2 000 EUR
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