African Art Auction Ending 11/26

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ASAFO MILITIA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. This flag depicts a winged, snake-like dragon hovering over a diminutive fallen soldier clutching a rifle. The dragon represents the Company that owns the flag and the soldier is a member of a rival Company. The flag expresses the taunt, “Will you fly or will you run; either way you can’t get away”. The full abdomen of the dragon suggests that it might already have devoured an enemy. Note the dragon’s horns, beard, and forked tongue. The appliqued figures and Union Jack are hand sewn with embroidered details. Flag dates from the 1940s and was acquired from the Duncan Clarke Gallery in London. Cotton textile. 54.5in x 34.5in. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2011, the SMA Fathers Museum of African Art New Jersey 2013, and the University of Memphis Museum Tennessee 2015. Published in “Emblems of Power: Asafo Flags from Ghana” Fig 58 p. 71. THIS BOOK IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHORS AT ppr2001@med.cornell.edu.

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TWO MILK CONTAINERS. Tutsi people, Burundi and Rwanda. Each was carved from a single block of wood. Tree rings are evident on the bottom surface. Each has a unique, carved circumferential ring design which was personalized for identification, and decorative metal inserts. A woven raffia cap is stored in each container. (A) Decorated with a single opalescent glass button in a metal ring. Zipper-like aluminum metal repair at base. H 8in. (B) Shield-like and coin-shaped aluminum decorations and zipper-like metal repair. H 8in.

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HELMET MASK. Temne or Lokko people, Sierra Leone. This exceptional Jolly (pronounced Jollay) Society mask honors Mami Wata, an important water spirit. It features a female figure with arms articulated at the shoulders who is seated astride a Sowei-style helmet mask with four faces that look at the four cardinal directions to detect witchcraft. The mask has Hindu-inspired decorative motifs that are associated with Mami Wata. The wearer was able to see through small apertures in the front near the bottom. Decorative material was hung from screws in the figure’s left thigh and behind the right ear. Wood, paint, metal. H 23.5in. Published in “Masks from West and Central Africa” Fig. 65 p. 60.

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TWO PASSPORT MASKS. Liberia and Ivory Coast. Passport masks were carried, sometimes suspended by a cord, to identify the tribal association of a person when traveling outside a tribal area. (A) Dan people. This example has the narrow eyes of a female Dan mask. On custom base. Wood. H 5.5in. (B) Dan or Bassa people. Note the headband and flat coiffure. This mask is marked with the collection number of a collector from whom is was acquired. Wood. H 4in.

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WOMAN’S LONG-HANDLED SICKLE-FORM KNIFE WITH HOOKED BLADE. Tutsi and Hutu people, eastern Congo, Uganda, Rwanda. Can be used as a weapon, but mostly used to knock down fruit from trees. Well-worn wood handle wrapped in copper wire. On custom base. Hand forged iron, wood, copper. H 22.5in.

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SICKLE-FORM SWORD. Mongo people, Congo. The shaft of the blade is decorated with traditional, hand-engraved geometric designs, and there is a concentric arch design etched on the flared head. Shaft is embedded in wood handle of traditional design. Hand forged iron, wood. H 22,5in.

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TWO F-SHAPED “THROWING” KNIVES. Throwing knives were created in a vast array of forms. In general, those found in forested regions like the Congo had a compact design and short handle whereas those found in northerly areas of the Sahel grasslands tend to be slender and F-shaped with longer handles which were too heavy to throw and were used as hand held weapons. These were not only deadly weapons but also important symbols of wealth, a source of prestige, and a medium of exchange or “currency”. Those produced by Kirdi people living in parts of northern Nigeria and Cameroon were typically F-shaped whereas those with bird-shaped head variously likened to a duck or rooster are attributed to the Margi and Kapsiki people. (A) Kirdi people, northern Nigeria, Cameroon. Hand forged iron. On custom base. H 22in. (B) Margi or Kapsiki people, northern Nigeria and Cameroon. Bird head form and loop at end of handle on custom base. Hand forged iron. H 25in.

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TWO SLASHING KNIVES. Mongo people, Democratic Republic of Congo. The flared end is typical of these weapons which are strengthened by veins running down the center and edges of the blade. Both Ex Scott Semans collection. (A) Concentric arched engraved decoration near the top and mid-shaft. Flared wood handle wrapped with copper wire. On custom base. Hand forged iron, copper, wood. H 16.5in. (B) Dominant central vein ending at upper end of shaft where the blade is decorated with linear designs consisting of small dots of shiny metal (? silver) embedded in the blade. Flared wood handle wrapped in copper wire. On custom base. Hand forged iron, silver, wood, copper. H 16.5in.

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RARE BLACKSMITH’S BELLOWS, FIVE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN BLACKSMITH’S TOOLS AND IRON ORE. (A) Bellows. Gogo people, Tanzania. See picture showing multiple similar bellows in use. This example of a completely intact double-barrel bellows with iron nozzles is an exceedingly rare find worthy of any museum or personal collection. It is said to date from the 1930s. The bellows, carved from a single block of wood, was used to force air into hot coals by an assistant who pumped the leather caps by alternately raising and pushing down on the wooden rods. Wood, leather, iron. H 26in. (B) Round headed hammer with wood handle. Baule people, Ivory Coast. Handle shows excellent patina from use. On custom base. Wood, iron. H 11.5in. (C) Dagger-shaped anvil. Matakam people, Cameroon. On custom base. Iron. H 10in. (D) Anvil with white pigment. Kissi people, Guinea. The anvil has been anointed with white kaolin libations honoring ancestors by a blacksmith seeking guidance in his work from ancestral blacksmiths. (E) Punch. Cameroon. Used to make holes and decorative designs. On custom base. Iron. H 7in. (F) Small iron-containing rocks. Stones such as these were loaded into a traditional smelting furnace to separate the iron (bloom) from the slag (See pictures showing a traditional clay iron smelting furnace. In one image, the furnace is being heated with wood. Other image shows iron-bearing rocks being added to the furnace). This is the way native iron was obtained before it was commercially available. The stones were collected in a region of Mali where the soil is rich in iron.

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CEREMONIAL BLACKSMITH’S HAMMER. Northern Nigeria. Given to a young blacksmith to commemorate completion of his apprenticeship. Shaft wrapped in single piece of hand sewn leather. Handle shows excellent patina from use. On custom base. Wood, leather, iron. H 22in.

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ASAFO MILITIA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. This flag expresses the proverb, “If a woman is tapping palm wine, then what should a man do?” (Translated from the inscription on the flag). The message is that each person should aspire to be as useful to the No. 4 Asafo Company that owns the flag as the palm tree is to the community. This is a reference to the wine made from the sap of the palm tree and palm nuts that are a source of nutritious oil. The central figure is a woman standing in the top of a palm tree holding a machete in one hand and a bunch of red palm nuts in the other hand. On one side, a warrior with a rifle reaches for the palm fruit and on the other side a Supi or Asafo Captain gestures as if eating the fruit. The images recreate the historical role of women who brought palm nuts to warriors during battle to give them energy. The Company also identifies with the tortoise, carrying its own fortress for protection, which is a symbol of patience and invulnerability. The flag is divided into four quadrants by pink bands that cross next to the palm tree. The canton is the Ghana national flag. The flag dates from about 1960. Entirely hand sewn with appliqued details Cotton textile. 89.5in x 37.5in. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2012, the SMA father Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2013, and the University of Memphis Gallery Memphis TN 2016. Published in “Emblems of Power. Asafo Flags from Ghana” p.86 Fig 88. This book is only available from the authors at ppr2001@med.cornell.edu. Collected from Owahene Acheampong in Accra, Ghana in 2005.

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TWO EAST AFRICAN CONTAINERS. (A) Oromo people, Ethiopia. The inner layer of this container is made of woven plant fibers impregnated with resin to create a water proof barrier. This is enclosed by a leather jacket that is decorated with vertical rows of cowry shells. The wood cap is also decorated with cowries and a piece of cloth with a zipper. The handle is a leather thong decorated with red and blue beads. Milk containers were “sterilized” by hanging them over smoky campfires; this explains the smoky smell this object has. Plant fiber, resin, leather, cowry shells, beads, wood, zipper. H 11in. (B) Water container. Turkana people, Kenya. The bowl is a calabash painted with natural pigments and hand stitched native repairs. A stiff leather neck has been sewn to the top of the calabash. The tall wood stopper that doubles as a drinking cup fits into the leather neck. Leather thongs form a carrying cord and secured the stopper. Calabash, wood, leather, pigment. H 24in.

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WEDDING BLANKET. Tuareg people, Niger and Mali. Used for protection from insects, cold and windblown sand. Sometimes hung in tent for privacy. Made from 11 hand woven, hand sewn wide fringed strips with multiple colorful decorative designs. The Tuareg are nomadic people in the southern Sahara region that is now too dangerous to visit due to Islamist terrorism. As result, textiles such as this are now not easily obtained. This blanket was collected in northern Mali in 2003. Cotton. 61in x 126in.

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RARE AX HEAD “CURRENCY”. Munshi subgroup of Tiv people, Northern Nigeria and Cameroon. Cast in bronze, this nonfunctional ax head-like object was used as “currency” in important transactions such as bride price and the purchase of cattle. This example is decorated with punched and engraved designs. On custom base. H 8in.

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TWO CEREMONIAL AXES. (A) Yoruba people, village near Ogbomaso, Nigeria. Said to have been used as bride price. Portions of handle and blade wrapped with copper wire. Pointed end of blade wrapped with brass wire. Faint chevron design incised on upper part of handle. Faint X design incised along edges of blade. On custom base. Iron, copper and brass wire. H 12in. (B) Yoruba people, Ogbomaso town, Nigeria. Ceremonial and functional ax used to carve ivory (see picture showing similar ax being used to carve ivory). Also used as bride price. On custom base. Iron, wood. H 12.5in.

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ANCHOR-FORM CURRENCY Fang people, Equatorial Guinea (village of Oyé). This rare and unusual form of currency was cut from a thin sheet of forged iron. Two arms curve outward and down from the shaft. On the front surface the arms and shaft are decorated with engraved linear designs. It was suspended from a cord that passed through a hole at the bottom of the shaft. Used as bride price. Said to date from before 1950. On custom base. Iron. H 10in. Ex Roberto Ballarini collection.

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TRADITIONAL HOE. Dogon people, Mali. Purchased in 2003 outside a Mande village from a woman named Bintou who was on her way to work in the fields. She welcomed the transaction because it gave her the funds to buy a hoe with a long handle. Traditional hoes such as this one requires the farmer to work bent over. (See pictures taken in Mali in 2003. One shows Bintou with the hoe on her shoulder and a basket balanced on her head. After working in the fields she was going to a market. The other shows a similar hoe hanging from a beam outside a house in the same village. Note the traditional door lock.) Blade hand forged by local blacksmith who also carved the wooden handle. Blade and handle show patina from use. On custom base. Wood, iron. H 26in.

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MAN’S CEREMONIAL ROBE. Ewe people, Ghana. Exceptional colorful example with 5 different warp stripe designs and numerous varied double weave weft blocks. This cloth shows Ashante influence in some of the weft blocks and the black and white grid called “Asambo” (the breast of the guinea fowl) or “Kotwa” (a scar) by the Ashante. Hand woven. Hand sewn. Cotton. 89in x 112in.

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RARE FISH-FORM BUNDU AMULET. Mende people, Sierra Leone. Amulets like this were worn by young women after initiation into the women’s Bundu Society (see photograph). Made from hollowed out goat horn with silver fish tail and cap, three coin-shaped silver medallions, and a silver chain. The fish-form is a very rare, unusual version. These amulets were said to contain “medicine” capable of resisting witches. Horn, silver. Amulet 7in.

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TWO RARE CEREMONIAL SPEAR-FORM CURRENCY. Doko, Ngbandi, and Ngbaka people, Democratic Republic of Congo. Both obtained from Businga, a city on the Mongala River in the Ubangi River Basin. Hand forged by native blacksmiths. The handle rises to form a spine through the blade. Note different shapes of the blades which are painted red and black with natural pigments. Conical base of one shaft painted red and the other white. Were used in important transactions such as bride price. On custom bases. Iron, pigment. H 27.5in.