African Art Auction Ending 11/26

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FIVE OLD BRASS GOLDWEIGHTS. Ghana. Gold weights were used in West Africa to weigh gold dust on a balance scale for centuries. The earliest weights had geometric forms reflecting the Islamic aversion to figural sculpture. Weights such as these depicting animals, people, and objects appeared in the 17th century. These weights date from the late 1800s. (A) Flintlock rifle. H 3.5in. (B) Ring with chameleon H 1.5in. (C) Cup with handle. H 1.25in. (D) Akan warrior with sword. H 2in. (E) Fan-shaped pendant. H 2in.

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STANDING MINSERAH FIGURE. Minserah are female statues that were consulted by women for assistance with personal issues such as infertility. Standing figures are less common than those seated. This figure has the prominent forehead and neck rings seen on Bundu masks. Umbilical hernias such as the one depicted are not uncommon in Africa. She wears a skirt of woven grass and matching old bead earrings and necklace. There are traditional scarifications on the upper abdomen. Offerings were placed in the cup in the central lobe of her coiffure. On custom base. Wood, pigment, old beads. H 38in.

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CEREMONIAL NECKLACE. Bamum people, Cameroon. Chief’s necklace consisting of beads carved from kola nuts and 3 large, egg-shaped wooden beads covered with hand-sewn Ndop cloth worn by Chiefs and high-ranking Court officials. Beads, cloth. H 20in.

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FOUR NIGERIAN HOE BLADES. Hoes were vitally important utilitarian tools in African agrarian societies since survival literally depended on the food farmers grew and could sell. Hoe blades were forged by local blacksmiths in forms that were traditional for a particular tribe and best adapted to local soil conditions. Most hoe blades were attached to short handles that were carved by blacksmiths. (See Lot #17). Hoes were also valued as a form of currency in important transactions like bride wealth. The four offered in this lot show the diverse artistic qualities of Nigerian hoe blades. Each on a custom base. (A) Hausa people, northern Nigeria. This unusual blade is adapted to the sandy soil on the border of the Sahara desert. It was attached to a wooden handle (see picture). Hand forged iron. H 14in. (B) Gombe people. The sharp spine of this cup-shaped blade was inserted into a wooden handle (see picture). In addition to being a useful tool known locally as kwadempe, it was exchanged as bride wealth in marriage contracts. Said to date from early 1900s. Ex Roberto Ballarini collection, Milan Italy. Hand forged iron. H 5.5in. (C) The blade has a serpentine form when seen from the side. Shows considerable wear from use. Old hand forged iron. H 7in. (D) Shovel form. Hand forged iron. H 9in.

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SEVEN SNAKE FETISHES. Lobi people, Burkina Faso. Forged by blacksmiths to be worn on a person’s leg to protect against bites by poisonous snakes (see picture). They vary in length and shape. The shortest consists of two fused snakes, and the longest has eyes on top of its head. H 7.5in to 12.5in.

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HEAD CREST MASK. Temne people, Sierra Leone. Female bust decorated with wooden beads attached to the crown of her head. She has many neck rings, a sign of vitality. Wood, paint. H 14.5in. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2012. Published in “Masks from West and Central Africa” p 64-65 Fig 76.

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TWO OLD NIGERIAN CURRENCY BELTS. (A) Yoruba people. Consists of eighty 1 inch copper rings with tire tread-like engraved designs woven into two serpentine leather straps. Worn as a sign of wealth. Rings could be removed for payment or added. 80 copper rings, leather. L 43in. (B) Bidda people. Eleven spiral loops of wide copper wire looped together called “Mitako”. Tied to a belt on a ceremonial costume as a symbol of wealth. Loops could be removed or added. Copper. L 25in.

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BUST OF QUEEN. Yoruba people, Benin. The Benin Kingdom was founded by the son of a Nigerian King around 1300. By the 15th century the people of Benin were noted for their skilled casting of brass objects. Brass busts of deceased kings and queens were placed on a royal altar. The tall, conical coiffure of this example dating from the early 1900s is typical for a queen. On custom base. Brass. H 8,5in.

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MAN’S MOURNING ROBE. Ashante people, Ghana. The 23 solid black strips are activated by predominantly gold and orange weft blocks, especially at the ends of the cloth. Silk and rayon. 115in x 79in.

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COWRY SHELLS. Shells of the marine gastropods Cypraea Moneta and Cypraea annulus have been used as currency throughout the world for centuries, including much of Africa. Tons of these mollusks were harvested from the Indian Ocean where they are most numerous. For example, the Dutch and English who used the shells to purchase slaves imported 14, 900,000 pounds and the English 11, 000,000 pounds in the 18th century. Raw cowries were processed by burying them in large pits in the sand by the shore. Over time the mollusks decayed. The shells were excavated and rinsed before being sold and shipped around the world. As early as the 11th century cowries were transported across the Sahara Desert to West Africa by camel caravan. By the 15th century Europeans, especially the Portuguese, who had arrived at the Maldive Islands in search of spices, found a lucrative trade in cowries which could be used as ballast in their ships and then used to purchase goods and slaves in Africa. Eventually, the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English were the leading traders who used cowries to buy slaves. The value of cowries fluctuated over time. In 1520 a slave could be bought for 6,370 shells or about 16 pounds. By 1680 a slave could cost between 10,000 and 31,000 cowries, and in the 1770s the price was 160,000 to 176,000. The shells were monetized in bunches on strings or by the pound. The last major shipment of cowries to be used as currency was in 1891, Nigeria banned the import of cowries for currency in 1904 and would no longer accept the shells as payment of taxes after 1911. However, cowries still were used for some transactions in West Africa. In Nigeria, they were used as bride price until after World War II, rising from 36,000 shells in 1939 to 720,000 shells by 1949. (A) String of 100 shells. This was a common unit of value which could also be worn as a necklace. These have the ivory hue of old shells; new shells are whiter. Weight 8oz. (B) Bag of loose shells of various sizes. Weight 9.9 oz. (C) Necklace worn by a priest of the God (Orisha) Eshu. Eshu is associated with wealth obtained in the market place. Strands of very old cowry shells. See picture of dance wand carried by a worshipper of Eshu with similar strands of cowries. On custom base. Leather, cowry shells. H 36in.

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WEST AFRICAN WEAVING-RELATED MATERIAL. (A) Mende people, Sierra Leone. Roll of 3.5in. wide hand-woven strip cloth with 3 indigo warp stripes. Woven with hand-spun native cotton. Diameter 10in. (B) Bambara people, Mali. Roll of 6in. wide hand woven undyed country strip cloth. Woven from hand-spun native cotton. Diameter 5in. (C) Mandingo people, Guinea. Boat (shuttle) used for passing weft threads between warp threads. The weft thread was wound on the slender rod suspended on a wire in the boat. Wood, wire. L 11in. (D) Malinke people, Guinea. A beater which was used to pull weft threads tightly in place after they were passed between the warp threads. The warp threads were run in between the reeds in the beater. The beater is suspended from the framework of the loom with the heavy, thick edge down. This size beater was used for narrow strip cloth as in (A). Wood, string, reeds. Width 8in. (E) Bambara people, Mali. Beater used for wide strips like (B). Wood, string, reeds. Width 11in.

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PRIEST’S CEREMONIAL DUGE NECKLACES Dogon people, Mali. Worn by a Hogon, a priest of the Lebe cult. In Dogon mythology, Lebe was one of the eight ancestors of the Dogon people created by the supreme God, Amma. After his death, the seventh ancestor in the form of a snake swallowed Lebe’s body and regurgitated his bones as stones which are represented by the stones in a Duge necklace. All are hand forged and each was made by a blacksmith to specifications submitted by a Hogon. All collected in Mali. (A) The smooth, carefully selected river stones represent the bones of the first Hogon, Lebe, and ancestral spirits. Hand forged, twisted linked iron rods and iron baskets containing smooth river stones. Length 23in. (B) Necklace of slender linked iron rods with a large pair of tongs as a pendant and a secondary strand with small tongs. The tongs refer to the Priest’s ability to identify and restrain sources of evil. Length 27in. (C) Necklace with unusual pale pyramidal stone pendant and a tubular bell. Length 21in. (D) Necklace with 2 iron ore stone pendants and a small slave manacle with which the Priest figuratively captures and restrains evil spirits. Length 18in. (E) Necklace with fired clay wheel pendant. Length 16in.

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TWO EXCEPTIONAL NECKLACES. (A) Dogon people, Mali. Worn by a hunter. Has 8 old hand sewn leather amulets or protective charms separated by brass rings strung on a black cord. To palpation, the amulets seem to contain some material which is traditionally either protective herbs or paper with excerpts of religious scripture. Leather, brass, cord. Length 18in. (B) West African cotton spinning weights. Before commercially prepared cotton thread was available in Africa, native cotton was spun by hand. The raw cotton balls were held up in one hand and pulled out into threads that was wound around a weighted spindle turned in the other hand. One picture shows a North African woman spinning cotton thread on a weighted spindle below her right hand. The second picture shows three spools of native cotton thread wound on spindles with weights. The necklace has 24 very old spindle weights with finely engraved designs made of fired clay strung on a cord. Length 12in.

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WOMAN’S FUNERAL ROBE. Ewe people, Ghana. The black strips are enhanced by 8 gold warp stripes and numerous zig-zag and other abstract supplementary weft designs. The weft blocks are predominantly red, gold, and green. Hand woven and hand sewn with fine stitches. Cotton. 109in x 65in.

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TWO “THROWING” KNIVES (A) Matakam and Kapsiki people, northern Nigeria, Cameroon. Called sengese, this is a variant of the F-shaped weapons in LOT #7. Too heavy to be thrown, it was a hand-held weapon wielded on foot and by warriors riding horses or camels. A carrying cord was slung between loops on the base of the handle and the blade. On custom base. Hand forged iron. H 23in. (B) Sakara people, Central African Republic, Congo. Hand-held weapon with groove down one side of the shaft set in wood handle. On custom base. Hand forged iron, wood. H 24in.

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SNAKE FETISH. Fon people, Benin. Used in Voodun (Voodu) ceremonies. Consists of two entwined poisonous snakes of the Cerastes genus in a circular coil. One is horned and the other not. Snakes of this genus don’t always have horns. Said to have been a medium of exchange in some important transactions related to Voodun and often placed on an altar. Hand forged from what appears to be native smelted iron. Dated to early 1900s. Ex Roberto Ballarini collection Milan, Italy. H 7in W 11.5in.

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TWO WOMEN’S HEAD CLOTH COUNTERWEIGHTS. Tuareg people, Mali and Niger. The Tuareg are nomadic people who move primarily across northern Nigeria and Niger in the southern part of the Sahara. Their women dress in black or indigo layered gowns of very light cloth from which their head cloth is also made. The counter weight or assrou’n swool is a key-like pendant made from iron, copper, silver, and brass used to keep the cloth in place. These fine examples were handcrafted by Tuareg craftsmen and were collected near Timbuctu in northern Mali at the border of the Sahara in 2003. This region is no longer safely accessible because of Islamist terrorism. Copper, iron, silver brass, leather. H 12.5in.

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BLANKET. Gurunsi people, northern Ghana and Burkina Faso. Made from 9 hand woven, hand sewn 6-7inch wide strips with muted earth-tone designs. Cotton. 60in x 94in.

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TWO HARPOON POINTS AND A SPEAR POINT. (A) Bozo people, Mali. The Bozo live on the banks of, and on islands in, the Niger River. They are heavily dependent on fishing in the river. Some of the larger fish are captured with harpoons by fishermen in pirogues. Both hand forged iron. One on custom base H 10in. Unmounted H 8in. (B) Kuba people, Congo. Spear point with haft in which there is remnant of wood shaft. Point has broad central ridge. Sharp edges. Hand forged iron. H 9.5in.

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OLD CEREMONIAL KNIFE BLADE. Kuba people, Congo. This very old blade was made from hand smelted, hand forged iron. A knife of this size and weight would have been carried by a man of great importance in the royal court. Fabulous patina. On custom base. H 16in.