By Carter B. Horsley

This is a large auction with more than 270 lots, mostly African many of which are of quite esoteric interest and intriguing quality, including some fine Baule and Dogon pieces. The auction also has some important works of Oceanic art and few good examples of Northwest Coast Art.

One of the best works is Lot 123, shown at the top of this article, a rare and important Kaka paternity figure, 22 1/2 inches high. This work heavily encrusted sculpture has great stylization with huge, wedge-shaped feet, and angular face on a globular head, a triangular beard, and a child handing onto its back. It has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $69,750 including the buyer's premium as do all the prices mentioned in this article.

Of similar but cruder power is Lot 37, a rare Dogon Tellem pair, 18 1/2 inches high, of two separate figures with raised arms and "exceptionally fine encrusted grayish brown millet patina. The lot has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000 and sold for $46,750.

There are several other excellent Dogon works including Lot 23, a fine and rare hunter's mask, 17 inches high with cut-out triangular eyes, bared teeth, lug ears and "an exceptionally fine encrusted patina of sacrificial material in a gray-brown-black surface. It topped by a triangular form, or handle. It has a modest estimate of $35,000 to $45,000. It sold for $41,000.

A more traditional Dogan work is Lot 18, a fine female torso, 19 1/2 inches high, that has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 and was once in the collection of Jay C. Leff. It sold for $23,750.

Lot 13 is a superb Dogon mask in the abstracted form of a monkey's face that is 13 inches high and has heavy encrustration and an estimate of $40,000 to $50,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 124 is another wood sculpture of considerable stylization. It is a 22-inch-inch high rare Cameroon/Northern Gabon, Fang female reliquary guardian figure that has a white or kaolin-surface with ringed feet, pronounced hips, high conical breats and a lovely heart-shaped face. It has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It sold for $52,500.

Lot 9 is a very strong Bamana female figure 19 1/8 inches high that is notable for its lovely linear scarifications and the superbly abstracted head. It has a conservative estimate of $12,000 to $18,000 and was formerly in the collections of Nelson A. Rockefeller and the Museum of Primitive Art in New York. It sold for $15,600.

A show-stopper is lot 77, a fine Benin bronze plaque, circa 16th/17th Century of a chief holding an eban sword with both hands, 16 1/2 inches high. The work is finely detailed and has a fine rich bronze patina. It has a modest estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $104,250.

Lot 70 is a very elegant bronze Diula bronze, described in the catalogue as "fine and rare." The 10 1/4-inch-high mask has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. Such masks were not published until the mid-1960s and about 15 are known and the catalogue maintained that it probably dates to the late 18th Century or early 19th Century. It failed to sell.

Lot 51, shown above, is a fine and rare Baule female figure, 10 inches high, covered in gold leaf and decorated with elaborate cross-hatch and zigzag motifs. It has a modest estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 and is very impressive. It failed to sell.

A related work is Lot 50, a Baule fly-whisk handle, that is 11 inches high and covered mostly in gold lead. It has a modest estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. It sold for $2,400.

Lot 43 is a very elegant pair of Baule kaolin-encrusted wooden figures about 11 1/2 inches high from the estate of Dorothy Brill Robbins that has a modest estimate of $2,500 to $2,500. It failed to sell.

Lot 86, shown above, is a good Dan mask that is 9 1/2 inches high and has an estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 72, shown above, is a very fine Eastern Nigerian, Ijaw, water spirit mask thta is 15 1/2 inches high. It has an estimate of $2,5000 to $3,500. It sold for $7,200.

Lot 108, shown above is a superb Dan mask that is 9 3/4 inches high with a braided hair headdress. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $29,500.

Lot 48, is a superb Baule male figure that is 18 1/4 inches high and has an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $38,125.

Lot 236, shown above, is an impressive New Caledonian water demon mask that is 78 1/2 inches high and has a beard of twisted human hair and a garment compresied of feathers. The lot was an estimate of $18,000 to $22,000 and sold for $14,400.

One of the auction's highlights is Lot 228, shown above, a Solomon Islands, New Georgia, canoe prow ornament that is 7 inches high and was once in the collection of Tristan Tzara. The work has inlaid mother-of-pearl ornamentation. It has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 and sold for $38,125.

The most colorful work in the auction is Lot 183, shown above, a rare Vanatu Grade Society Mask, Makekula Island. This 27-inch high work was deaccessioned in 1996 by the Art Institute of Chicago. Three male figures missing the lower supporting head are known. The lot has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $58,250.

Another Vanatu work is Lot 176, a 43-inch-high helmet mask, shown above. This wonderfulpiece has an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $4,800.

The oval, bird-like masks of the Sepik River area are very dramatic and popular with collectors but most are missing their strong coloring. Lot 193 is an excellent Coastal Sepik River marks whose great coloring is intact. The 19 1/2 inch high mask has an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It sold for only $8,400.

One of the most abstract works in this auction is Lot 257, shown above, a rare Mitiaro staff god, 8 1/4 inches high. This work was collected by the Reverends John Williams and Robert Bourne of the London Missionary Society in 1823. According to the catalogue, a fiber tail would have been affixed to he base and fibers and feathers were lashed to the top portion. This lot is one of only 10 known in "this comparatively good state of preservation," the catalogue entry stated. The lot has an estimate of $20,000 to $25,000. It sold for $148,750!

The cover illustration of the catalogue is Lot 265, shown above, a rare and magnificent Hawaiian Islands ceremonial fan that is 22 1/2 inches wide. It has an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000 and it sold for $110,000.

One of the most striking works in the auction is Lot 273, shown above, a fine and rare Easter Island male figure thatis 17 3/4 inches high. "As little is known about how these figures were used, it is impoosibleto state why the head was carved turned. Like all classic males fiugres, the treatment of the body is highly abstract, but one should not the on the ifures with the head turned to the side, a degree of naturalism is presentin the treatment of the collar bones as assympetrical," the catalogue noted. The haunting sculpture of this emaciated figure has an estimate of $125,000 to $175,000 and sold for $192,750, the auction's highest price.

Lot 16, a Northwest Coast ceremonial wood rattle, shown above, is a very impressive 15 1/4-inch long work hhas an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 and sold for $35,250.

Lot 159 is a very impressive Eskimo polychrome wood mask trimmed with framentary fur ruff and with remains of black and red pigment. The 8-inch high mask has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000 and sold for $18,000.

One of the more striking works inthe auction is Lot 147, shown above, a superb Indian Santal, anthropomorphic lute, known as a dhodro banam, that is 27 1/2 inches high and has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000 and sold for $18,000. This dhodro banam is carved in the form of a female torso with the lower hollowed square section covered with a leather flap beneath the torso with two standing figures joined ogher and inset in the central cavity.