By Carter B. Horsley

William W. Brill, who died in 2003, was the president of the Mutual Real Estate Investment Trust in New York and lived in a townhouse in Greenwich Village when he started collecting African Art in 1960 and most of his spectacular collection of African Art was collected between 1965 and 1969.

In a reminiscence printed in the catalogue, Morton Lipkin, a prominent dealer, recalled that on his visits with Mr. Bill, "we spent a great deal of time together just looking though his books. I don't know anyone who used the books more than he did. It was his passion. Another element of Bill's collection that is noteworthy is that Bill was constantly moving the pieces to different places. He even did this while we were just sitting around in the evening. We are talking about four floors of African art! I would go into the various rooms to find that pieces were changing places almost daily. I believe it gave him a different perspective upon seeing the pieces at various angles."

In addition to many museum-quality individual works, the Brill collection is notable for its great collections of combs and staffs.

The Sotheby's auction of the Brill collection November 17, 2006 was extremely successful with all 170 offered lots selling for a total of $4,186,720, almost double the pre-sale high estimate.

One of the best works in the auction is Lot 67, a fine and rare Eastern Mambila male and female janiform figure that is 23 1/2 inches high. The lot has a modest estimate of $60,000 to $90,000. The lot sold to a European dealer for $262,400 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article. The catalogue notes that this figure "exhibits qualities that are classically Mambila - the telescopic eyes which are mirrored by similar circular ears emanating from the temples and further enhanced by a scooped, heart-shaped facial plane. The female figure is adorned at the crest with inserted pegs Moreover, the bowed muscular legs are distinguished by their broad feet extending beyond the angle and the angularity of the legs which are counter-balanced by the geometric hoips and abdomen. Also, like the best Mambila figures, the patina is charcoal gray with an eggshell layer of encrustation and soot. At the same time, however, this figures has some qualities of the neighboring Kaka - the broad chest, storng shoulders and tensely bent, faceted arms held out to the side. The Mambila live on the northern border of the Cameroon Grassfields and into western Nigeria. The Kaka live in Western Cameroon nearby. While male and female couples are well known within Mambila art, there appears to be only one other recorded example of a janiform male and female figure, collected in 1933....However, the Brill janus is unique in that it does not show two merge full figures but instead the male as full with the female as half figure emerging from the back. Within Kaka art, there are no couples known.

Lot 199 is a striking Kanyok male and female pair of sculptures, 14 1/4 inches high.

The catalogue offers the following commentary:

"The Brill Kanyok couple is the only male and female pair, carved individually, that are publicly known to survive as a pair. One other male and female free-standing pair is recorded as early as 1927 in the collection of Karl van Lier of the Netherlands....The Kanyok fell under the Luba Kingdom's influence, living just south and west of the Luba, to the east of the Kete and northeast of the Tshokwe....Within the Kanyok court, the chief employed artists, called Manindak. The Manindak was a dignitary and shared a position regarded for technical skill along with blacksmiths and musicians."

The lot has a modest estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold to an American private collector for $264,400, a record for a Kanyok work of art at auction.

Lot 44 is a super Baule "moon" mask that is 7 3/4 inches high. It has an estimate of $60,000 to $90,000. It sold for $120,000.

Lot 76 is a "magnificent" Kuyu cermonial head that is 10 1/2 inches high.

The catalogue provides the following commentary:

"The Kuyu people, neighbors of the Mboshi, live on the east and west sides of the Kuyu River, a tributary of the Likouala River, which flows into the Congo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo....Kuyu works of art of similar refinement are rare. Only a few other sculptures of comparable quality and strong physiognomy are known....The Brill head, however, is unsurpassed in its merger of artistic delicacy and savage expressiveness. The composition of drooping eyes in trance-like expression in contrast to a gaping mouth with sharp, ferocious teeth can be understood as an allusion to the moment of transcendence of spirital power during the important ceremonies. The artist's mastery in depicting this moment beyond time makes the Brill head arguably one ofthe most important Kuyu sculptures known."

It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold to an American private collector for $464,000, a record for a work of Kuyu art and the highest price realized at the auction.

Lot 110 is a very impressive Songe male power figure tha is 16 1/2 inches high.

The catalogue provides the following commentary:

"The Brill Songe power figure, nkisi, is an exceptional example of its type demonstrating an overall sharpness and faceting of the body and dybamic asymmetry with the head turned sharply to the side. While the sinister smile together with the organic quality of the headdress and the heavily developed patina give the figure a sense of wildness and movement, the broad hands resting on the abdomen and the flat feet resting squarely on the raised base may be interpreted as symbolizing a stabilizing force keeping the power directed and in control."

The lot has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold to an American private collector for $228,00.

Lot 112 is a striking and fine Songe divination implement that is 9 1/2 inches high. The catalogue notes that the original function "remains mysterious." The lot has a modest estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $66,000.

One of the more striking works in the auction is Lot 27, a superb Baga shrine that is 25 1/4 inches long. Mounted on a cylindrical stool an elongated avian head with long protruding beak is supported by a slender neck and the head has an elaborate openwork headdress with a central crest. The catalogue notes that the altar is distinguished "by its overall thinness and refinement of carving with a deeply layered patina. The work has a modest estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $144,000.

"Among the Islamic Mande peoples, face masks were used during performances of the Do society masquesrades. The Do society was an Islamicized institution which, like the Poro Society of the neighboring Senufo, served tovpreserve order, perform at public festivals, take part in major funerals, and protect the village from evil spiritis.

"The Brill Ligbe mask from the Bondoukou region is rare, consisting of three faces it evinces a multi-dimensional, surrealistic presence.

The lot has an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for $7,800.

Lot 7 is a rare and superb Bamana Ntomo power figure that is 12 1/4 inches high. "The figure's face," the catalogue notes, "is hidden behind a wooden face mask of stylized human features and surmounted by a front crest of horns.....The thick and encrusted patina stems from offerings during numerous libation ceremonies....The finely carved mask with incised jaw lines is typical for a particular region in the Bamana area....The Bamana believe the mouth to be a part of the anatomy intimately linked to the establishment of social interaction. By the same token, it can also be an origin of serious social disruption, especially through the spoken word. Thus the ntomo dancer is aphonic, uttering no sound while performing. In the Brill example, the mouth of the mask appears indeed closely shut, indicated by two small horizontal slits....Especially remarkable...are the incisions on the back of the figure, a common way of presenting body scarification and found in many examples of Bamana sculpture. The interest lies here in the fact that actual ntomo costume is always of a uniform color and without decoration, so the patterns n the back are not part of the costume but the artist's virtuosic display of scarifications on the outside. In a kind of X-ray effect, this constitutes not only a visualization of the invisible but also a merger of skin and costume into a powerful metaphor for the sacredness of human nature." The lot has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $114,000.

Lot 103 is a "superb" Yombe power figure that is 10 1/4 inches high with a defiant stance with truncated arms framing the protruding rectangular magical charge with a mirror affixed with black resin. The face has glass eyes with heavy lids and the figure wears a resinous cap bundle. The lot has an estimate of $70,000 to $100,000. It sold for $120,000.

Lot 63 is a fine Ejagham headcrest that is notable for its articulated limbs and its face of exaggerated simian features with a cap of human hair. The work has a great deal of whimsy in its expressiveness and animated pose. It has a modest estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. It sold for $6,600.

Lot 74 is a very beautiful and exquisite Fang, Bouiti Society, ceremonial implement that is 15 1/2 inches high. It has a modest estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It sold for $30,000.

Another excellent Fang workis Lot 75, an 8-inch high female figure. It has a modest estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It sold for $33,000.

Lot 113 is an impressive Mbole figure that is 21 1/2 inches high. The catalogue notes that "The Mbole ofika figures share some characteristics with the Lega and the Bembe - the heart-shaped face and unususual postion of the arms. However, this unique but well-known type of carving belongs to high-ranking members of the Lilwa association....The Lilwa was a graded association with a similar social-judicial function to the Bwami of the Lega, but the initiation process is less complex and there is less artistic production associated with each rite. The famed, conventionalized, polychrome statues...represent persons who were hanged for transgressing against the laws of the Lilwa and the public order; they may eventually portray sacrificial victims. The figureines also have some reference to a pre-burial custom applied to high-ranking Lilwa members involving suspension of the body."

The lothas an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for $60,000.

Lot 105 is a rare double-figure neckrest of the Twa, a pygmy group that the catalogue sates "at one point estimated at about 100,000 in population, living among the Kuba and Mongo peoples." The catalogue notes that "The name 'Twa' is Bantu for 'little people.' The Twa were nomadic hunters and the only Pygmy group known to produce wood carvings. The composition of the Brill neckrest is unusual with clear Kuba influence, particularly in the incised motifs at the top. The dynamic treatment of the figures displays an individualistic physiognomy and conceptualization."

Lot 101is a quite striking and haunting Benalulua crouching figure that is notable for its expressive face with a grimacing mouth baring teeth and the emaciated figure. The lot has a conservative estimate of $6,000 to $9,000. It sold for $36,000.

One of the most memorable works in the auction is Lot 131, a Lovalle standing figure overlaid by woven fiber. Such figures appear at the end of a male initiation rite to review and refine the dancing skills of the initiates. The lot has a conservative estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $33,000.

Lot 139 is a "superb" Baule comb that is 8 3/4 inches high and is distinguished by its upswept shoulders and elaborate headdress on a disk-shaped element surmounted by a pierced diamond shape. The lot, which was once in the collection of Tristan Tzara, has a conservative estimate of $9,000 to $12,000. It sold for $21,600.

Lot 138 is an Asante figurative comb thtais 12 1/2 inches high and has an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for $84,000.

Lot 146 is an Asante comb that is 11 1/4 inches high and has a modest estimate of $7,000 to $10,000. It sold for $4,800.