Items located in Pleasant Valley, NY. Items include Faro, the water genie puppet from Mali; West African double gongs; Ode-lay society head crest mask from Sierra Leone; African sculptures, figurines, masks, textiles, ceremonial robes, copper rod currency, and more.

AFRICAN ART COLLECTION OF MARY SUE AND PAUL PETER ROSEN
Mary Sue and Paul Peter Rosen have collected African art for over thirty years, making nine trips to Africa to study the art in its cultural setting. The Rosens have published three African art books, curated more than ten exhibitions from their collection, and have given public lectures about African art and culture. They have donated art from their collection to various institutions including the Newark Museum, Temple University in Philadelphia, the SMA Fathers African Art Museum in Tenafly, New Jersey, and the African American Research Library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Payment is due by Monday, April 1 at 1PM.

Pickup in Pleasant Valley, NY must be completed by Monday, April 1 at 3PM.


All lots sold as is, where is. There is a 15% Buyers Premium for all lots purchased. Payment methods include cash, MC, Visa, Discover or good check. You can make credit card payment online by going to your Member Area and selecting your invoice.

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?EMBLEMS OF POWER. ASAFO FLAGS FROM GHANA? BY M.S. AND P.P. ROSEN IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHORS AT ppr2001@med.cornell.edu PRICE POSTPAID IN US IS $25.00; OUTSIDE US POSTPAID $35.00.

Auction Info
Items located in Pleasant Valley, NY. Items include Faro, the water genie puppet from Mali; West African double gongs; Ode-lay society head crest mask from Sierra Leone; African sculptures, figurines, masks, textiles, ceremonial robes, copper rod currency, and more.

AFRICAN ART COLLECTION OF MARY SUE AND PAUL PETER ROSEN
Mary Sue and Paul Peter Rosen have collected African art for over thirty years, making nine trips to Africa to study the art in its cultural setting. The Rosens have published three African art books, curated more than ten exhibitions from their collection, and have given public lectures about African art and culture. They have donated art from their collection to various institutions including the Newark Museum, Temple University in Philadelphia, the SMA Fathers African Art Museum in Tenafly, New Jersey, and the African American Research Library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Payment is due by Monday, April 1 at 1PM.

Pickup in Pleasant Valley, NY must be completed by Monday, April 1 at 3PM.


All lots sold as is, where is. There is a 15% Buyers Premium for all lots purchased. Payment methods include cash, MC, Visa, Discover or good check. You can make credit card payment online by going to your Member Area and selecting your invoice.

*NOTE* Shipping is available on all items.

?EMBLEMS OF POWER. ASAFO FLAGS FROM GHANA? BY M.S. AND P.P. ROSEN IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHORS AT ppr2001@med.cornell.edu PRICE POSTPAID IN US IS $25.00; OUTSIDE US POSTPAID $35.00.

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High Bid:
$275.00 – affrika123

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FARO, THE WATER GENIE PUPPET. Bozo people, Mali. Faro is a Sogo Bo puppet who appears in the form of a mermaid with long flowing hair and a forked fish tail. Her short arms resemble the lateral fins of a fish. She is outfitted in an elaborate, painted robe. The knob visible at the bottom of the puppet is a remainder of a rod that was used to support and activate this non-articulated figure. Collected in Gometago village near Segou, Mali in 2008. Segou was the center of the Sogo Bo puppet tradition and the site of many Sogo Bo puppet festivals until it was overrun by Islamist militants who have destroyed many of the original puppets such as this example. On custom base. Exhibited at the SMA Fathers Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2009 and the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2010. Wood, paint. H 40in. Published in “The Colorful Sogo Bo Puppets of Mali” p. 155, Fig 183. This book includes a history of puppetry, detailed photographs taken by the authors of the atelier of the famed Sogo Bo puppet maker YaYa Coulibaly, a large number of color photographs of Sogo Bo puppet performances, and photographs of the authors’ collection of Sogo Bo puppets.

High Bid:
$90.00 – ibuythings

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TCHITCHILI FIGURE. Moba people, northern Togo. These sacred anthropomorphic figures were used to communicate with ancestors in rituals associated with farming as well as initiation ceremonies. The figures were offered food, bathed with libations which are evident on the surface of this example. This large version would have been placed outside a home or in a field. Small Tchitchili figures were placed in personal altars in the home. This sculpture was collected in Togo in 2007. On custom Wood. H 32in. Published in “The Colorful Sog Bo Puppets of Mali” p. 13, Fig 1.

High Bid:
$325.00 – ibuythings

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TWO ELU FACE MASKS. Ogoni people, Nigeria. These masks are worn by members of various men’s societies who perform at religious and social functions. Many of the masks mimic members of the community. The masker is able to open the articulated jaw and snap it shut with an audible click by movements of his mouth. Some, but not all, Elu masks have teeth. Both early 20th century. Each on custom base. (A) Dark brown face with hair combed and parted to one side. Teeth present. Wood, pigment. H 9in. Ex Bonham’s Auction #19412 Nov 9 2011 Lot #401. (B) White face darkened with age. Hair combed and parted to one side. Scarification on forehead and temples. Wood, pigment. H 8.5in. Ex Rago Tribal Art auction March 1, 2008 Lot #172.

High Bid:
$750.00 – anavik

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BUNDU (SOWEI) HELMET MASK. Mende people, Sierra Leone. The single female figure seated on the top of this mask with her arms raised behind her head is the guardian spirit of the wearer of the mask. She is surrounded by four flame-shaped amulets. The mask is worn by a woman entrusted with supervising the initiation of girls into the women’s Bundu Society. The leader of the Bundu initiation is the Digba (see LOT #6). The mask has copper earrings. It is very light and shows clear signs of use. On custom base. Wood, pigment. H 17.5 in. Published in “Masks from West and Central Africa” p.37 FIG 36.

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$275.00 – siwasally

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ASAFO MILITIA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. The Asafo Company that owned this flag identified itself with the European-style three-masted man-o-war steam ship. Steam-driven ships with sails first appeared in the 1850s. The flag warns that the Company can confront and defeat any enemy, even one as powerful as a whale, in the water or on land. This is expressed by the proverb, “Our ship is ready to sail”. This flag is exceptionally long, measuring 2-3 feet longer than the average Asafo flag. The canton is part of a printed Union flag. The figures are hand sewn with embroidered details. Cotton textile. 84in x 44.5in. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2012; SMA Father Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2013; University of Memphis TN Museum 2015. Published in “Emblems of Power: Asafo Flags from Ghana” 2013 p. 74 Fig 63. This book is only available from the authors at ppr2001@med.cornell.edu.

High Bid:
$60.00 – ibuythings

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RARE DIGBA STAFF OF AUTHORITY. Mende people, Sierra Leone. Collected in Mblama town in the Bo region in 2004. The Digba is a woman who is in charge of and leads the ceremonies by which girls are initiated into the women’s Bundu Society. She and the other women who perform the ceremony wear distinctive, hand carved helmet masks and black raffia costumes (see example and picture in LOT #4). As the emblem of her authority, the handle of this hand carved staff depicts an ideal Digba whose helmet mask has an elaborate coiffure that includes ram’s horns. Her costume is embellished with white cowry shells symbolic of wealth and a band of white protective amulets above her forehead. She wears a goat horn amulet hung by a chain on her chest. The handle and tip of the staff show wear from use. Wood, pigment. H 34in. SEE CATALOG NOTE FOR A RELATED STAFF IN SOTHEBY’S NOVEMBER 14, 2003 AFRICAN AND OCEANIC ART AUCTION LOT #11, p17. CATALOG AVAILABLE ONLINE AT SOTHEBY’S WEBSITE.

High Bid:
$45.00 – mryan1954

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TWO WEST AFRICAN DOUBLE GONGS WITH ARCHED HANDLES. These musical instruments were used during ceremonial dances and rituals like funerals and were carried as symbols of prestige. They were struck with a wooden or metal rod. Each of a pair of bells emits a different sound because they differ in size and thickness. Both of hand forged iron. (A) Ubangi people, Congo. Rainbow-shaped handle. H 10in. Width 12in. (B) Lobi people, Burkina Faso. Pinched arched handle joins the bells. Note striations on sides of bells suggesting use as rasp gong as well as struck gong. On custom base. H 9.5in Width 11.5in. Both exhibited at the Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2003.

High Bid:
$50.00 – hudsonvalleyantiques

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TWO WEST AFRICAN RASP GONGS. A rasp gong is a slit tubular musical instrument forged from a single piece of iron. The edges of the slit are serrated. Various sounds are produced when a wooden or metal rod is used to strike the tube or is rubbed along the striations. Some rasp gongs are held by a flat extension at one end and others by a ring passed through the tube at mid-shaft. They may be played as part of an ensemble that includes drums and indigenous stringed instruments accompanying festive dances or by dancers to accompany their performance. Each on a custom base. (A) Senufo people, Mali. Rasp gong with ring handle. H 9.5in. (B) Bambara people, Mali. Tapered gong with flat handle at one end. Serpentine line etched on back of shaft. Was carried by a leather thong passed through the holes at the tapered end. H 12in. Both exhibited at the Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2003.

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$80.00 – skatbratt

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EXTRAORDINARY DATED WEDDING BLANKET. Fulani people, Mali/Niger. Wedding blankets are gifts presented to a newly wed nomadic couple who are among the people who roam the south Sahara bordering on Mali and Niger. What makes this example special is the date “1985” which is boldly stitched at both ends of the cloth. The wedding blanket is a cover for warmth, protection against insects, and a tent divider for privacy. This blanket consists of 9 hand woven, hand sewn strips measuring 7in to 7.5in. A central white square representing the family nucleus is outlined with orange and green blocks. Tasseled at the ends. Cotton. 128in x 64.5in. Exhibited at the Pen and Brush Gallery New York 2004.

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$450.00 – dominic

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VERY RARE COMPLETE MEDICINE HEAD FIGURE. Mende people, Sierra Leone. The medicine head is a solid replica of a Bundu Society helmet mask. It serves as an oracle or altar that women consult to cure illness or injury which is thought to occur when a woman fails to obey the rules of the Bundu Society. The illness or injury is attributed to anger of ancestral spirits at the transgression and the figure serves as an intermediary in securing a cure. Although most medicine head sculptures that reach Western collectors consist only of the head, there are rare examples in which the head is part of a full body figure such as this one from the Bonthe district estimated to date from the 1930s. The 9inch tall medicine head has a tri-lobed coiffure drawn to a top knot. Scarifications are indicated on the brow and cheeks. There are red bead earrings. The armless wood body is dressed in a tightly wrapped, hand sewn country cloth fringed robe that is adorned with a variety of very old beads and cowry shells. A kola nut hangs from a rope belt at the waist. Her legs and the pedestal on which she stands have been damaged by exposure to the elements in the poorly enclosed Bundu shrine where the figure was kept. On custom base. Wood, pigment, beads. Cowry shells, kola nut, cloth, string. H 27.5in.

High Bid:
$60.00 – mryan1954

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THREE CONICAL BELLS. Fon people, Benin. Bells like these were kept in Voodun shrines and used to summon ancestral spirits. All hand forged. Each on a custom base. (A) The single cone folds around the handle with a fiddlehead top. The clapper is suspended from the handle in the cone. Iron. H 11in. (B) Bicone bell with cones folded around the Y-shaped base of the handle. Iron. H 7.5in. (C) Twelve cone bells (six at each end) with handles merged into a single shaft. Iron. H 12in.

High Bid:
$120.00 – fallenlight

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EARLY 20TH CENTURY GOLD WEIGHTS. Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, and the surrounding region is naturally rich in gold which is found mainly in the form of small particles or dust. Gold was an important form of currency in the region for many centuries and by the 18th century it was used in virtually all transactions from buying yams in a market to affairs of state. Every person engaged in any form of commercial activity (buying and selling) needed to have equipment for measuring and weighing gold “dust”, including a set of weights. Although many brass weights were cast by the lost wax method specifically for this purpose, commonly available brass objects like beads and pendants were also used as weights. (A) Coiled fanged cobra. (B) Bird riding on a land turtle (certain birds do this to pick insects off the turtle). (C) Mammary-form shield pendant. (D) Two old brass beads. (E) Hippo. (F) Hornbill bird on pedestal. (G) Mudfish with coiled tail. (H) Porcupine. (I) Crocodile with fish in its mouth.

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$70.00 – vacilles

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NINETEENTH CENTURY GOLD COAST EQUIPMENT TO STORE AND WEIGH GOLD. This material includes: (A) a portable, light weight hand held balance scale (nsania) consisting of two thin brass pans (this lot) suspended by strings from a balance beam (see picture showing such a scale hanging on the wall in a jeweler’s shop); (B) small brass box for storing gold dust (adaka ketwa) with crocodile gold weight lid; (C) large container for storing gold dust or gold weights with mammary-form top; (D) a long-handled spatula (saawa) with punched designs used to remove adulterating debris from gold dust; (E) a funnel-shaped scoop resembling a dust pan (famfa) used to examine large amounts of gold dust for impurities; (F) two small scoops used to transfer gold dust from the famfa to the scale. These scoops have punched designs and one has a fish tail handle.

High Bid:
$90.00 – hudsonvalleyantiques

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ELEVEN 15TH TO 17TH CENTURY BRASS GOLD WEIGHTS. The earliest gold weights introduced by Islamic traders from the north were small, geometric forms reflecting Islamic aversion to representational and figurative sculpture. Raised decorative designs found on flat weights from this era often represent elements of calligraphic motifs. Weights depicting everyday objects, people, and animals first appeared in the 17th century. The weights in this lot are numbered G1-G11. G1 is relatively large and triangular with a fortress design. G2 is a crenellated half circle. G4 and G5 are tiered. Note that one corner of G5 has been cut off. This was sometimes done to adjust the weight. All were lost wax cast and show wear consistent with age. Weights range from 0.2oz to 1.9oz.

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$110.00 – fallenlight

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NINE EARLY TO MID-20TH CENTURY GEOMETRIC BRASS GOLD WEIGHTS. Various forms in this lot include triangles, a crenelated circle, a fortress, squares and rectangles. All lost wax cast. Weights range from 0.6oz to 2.5oz.

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$150.00 – vacilles

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MAN’S KENTE PRESTIGE ROBE. Asante people, Ghana. This cloth is named “Mmaaban”, meaning “unity” because it has multiple warp stripe patterns. The dominant warp design is Oyokoman, consisting of red, green and gold stripes in several variant forms. Oyokoman refers to the Oyoko clan from which Asante Kings (Asantehene) were chosen. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the independent Asante clans joined forces in wars against British efforts to gain control over the Gold Coast. The powerful Oyoko clan was chosen to lead this confederation and it’s leaders became hereditary Asantehene in subsequent generations. Other warp stripe patterns represented are Kyemee, named for the powerful Asante Chief Kyime, and Mmeeeda, meaning “something extraordinary”. This hand woven, hand sewn cloth was collected in Bonwire, Ghana, the center of the Asante kente weaving tradition. The weaver is said to have been Nana Kwabena Boateng and it is estimated to date from around 1930. Silk and cotton. 22 strips. 128in x 73in.

High Bid:
$60.00 – mryan1954

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SEATED CAPTIVE OR SLAVE WOMEN. Mende people, Sierra Leone. Africans carvers rarely made sculptures depicting bound captives or slaves. This rare, enigmatic sculpture shows a seated woman with her hands tied behind her back and manacles on her ankles. Despite these circumstances, her countenance is composed and reveals no anguish. The hair style and facial features with a prominent forehead, low-set face, and multiple neck rings is reminiscent of a Bundu helmet mask. Damage to one side of the figure could be the result of the application of libations. An informant stated that the figure was used to pray for rain, but this has not been confirmed. Collected in the Bo region. Wood, pigment. H 16in.

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$30.00 – hudsonvalleyantiques

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FOUR AFRICAN BELLS. (A) Luba people, Congo. Unusual hand carved wooden wrist bell suspended by rope and a goat skin strap. Worn during celebratory dances. The wooden ball-shaped clapper was inserted through a hole in the top that is now closed. Wood, rope, goat skin. H 3in Width 4in. (B) Kuba people, Congo. Hand forged ceremonial bell with repousse designs front and back. Clapper suspended from wire at the top. On custom base. Iron. H 5in. (C) GoGo people, Tanzania. Hand forged cattle bell suspended by leather strap. On custom base. Iron, leather. H 3.5in. (D) Yoruba people, Nigeria. Hand forged, long handled ceremonial bell suspended from a chain. On custom base. Iron. H 8in.

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$100.00 – ibuythings

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AFENATENE ROYAL CEREMONIAL SWORD. Asante people, Ghana. This distinctive tall sword belonged to the Asantehene (King) of the Asante and was placed by his side as a symbol of his authority when he was seated in state in his palace in the Asante capital, Kumase. With the advent of the colonial period in 1896, display of this insignia was no longer permitted after the Asantehene became a subject of the British empire. This example is the most elaborate version of the afenatene since it’s long twisted shaft opens at the bottom into 3 broad blades. As if creating the twisted shaft were not a sufficient feat of metalworking, the blacksmith has adorned the shaft with proverbial animals including 3 snakes (one holding a lizard in its mouth), a frog and a mudfish at the top. The mudfish and frog refer to the proverb, “No matter how fat the frog grows, it can never be as great as the mudfish”. The mudfish, highly edible and prized, is a metaphor for the King, whereas the frog positioned among snakes lower on the shaft represents the King’s subjects over whom he has authority. The blackened surface shows evidence of libations. Dated to mid-19th century or earlier. On custom base. Hand forged iron. H 58in. Ex Eric Robertson Gallery.

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$475.00 – holua12

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ASAFO MILITA FLAG. Fante people, Ghana. This flag depicts a large griffin (a mythical winged lion) confronting a small porcupine. The message to enemies of the Company that owns the flag is: “You may be as fierce as a griffin, but you are not a match for our Company (represented by the porcupine), and we will keep coming after you if attacked”. The porcupine is likened to an invincible warrior because it is believed to shoot and quickly regenerate its quills (as in the Akan proverb, “If you kill a thousand, a thousand more will come”). This flag is entirely hand sewn with embroidered details. Dated 1920s-1930s. Cotton textile. 61in x 35in. Ex Owen Hargreaves/Jasmine Dahl collection London. Exhibited at the Free Library Gallery Philadelphia 2012, SMA Fathers Museum of African Art Tenafly NJ 2013 and the University of Memphis Museum TN 2015. Published in “Emblems of Power. Asafo Flags from Ghana” 2013 p71 Fig 57. THIS BOOK IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHORS AT ppr2001@med.cornell.edu.

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