Lot 81,
seated female figure, Bamana, Mali, attributed to the Master of the
Raptor Profile, 24 inches high
Lot
81 is a great Bamana seated female figure from Mali that is attributed
to the Master of the Raptor Profile. It is 24 inches high and
one of 10 works attributed to the artist, five one which are
seated female figures. One of the others is in the British Museum and
another in the Naprstko Muzeum in Prague.
This work, which is notable for large treatment of the hands and the
finess of her coiffure, was once in the collection of Henri Matisse.
Michael Fitzgerald, professor of art history at Trinity College in
Hartford, Conn., has an essay on Matisse's interest in African Art in
which this lot is shown in a photograph with the artist and also in
"Three Sisters," a 1917 painting in the collection of Albert C. Barnes.
The lot, which was consigned by the artist's descendants, has an modest
estimate of $150,000 to $250,000. It
sold for $782,500.
Lor
82, Mask, Lega, Democratic Republic of the Congo with possible
alterations by Henri Matisse, 8 1/8 inches high
A
third Matisse piece is Lot 82, a Lega mask from the Democratic Republic
of the Congo has possible alterations by the artist. It is 8
1/8 inches high. In a catalogue essay, Michael Fitzgerald,
professor of art at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., noted that
"devoid of decorative borders or other details, the Lega 'Mask' is a
tour-de-force of minimalist volumes." It has a very modest estimate of
$5,000 to $7,000. It
sold for $362,500!
Lot
200, Mask, Lega, elephant hide and chicken feathers, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, 10 inches high
One of the
scariest works i n the auction is Lot 200, a Lega mask of elephant hide
and chicken feathers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It is 10 inches high and only two other examples are known to
exist, according to the catalogue. It was once in the
collection of Julius and Josepha Carlebach and Zafira and Itzhak
Shoher. It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $242,500.
Lot 119, "We
(Ingere) mask," Gere subgroup, Ivory Coast, 11 12 inches high
Lot 119 is a very powerful
and stunning "We (Ingere) mask, Gere subgroup" from the Ivory Coast.
It is 11 1/2 inches high. It is illustrated in the chapter on
Dada and Surrealist art in the Museum of Modern Art 1984 catalogue,
"Primitivism in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the
Modern." It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $59,375.
Lot 208,
Tortoise shell mask, Torres Strait Islands, Papua, New Guinea, 7 5/8
inches high
One
of the most spectacular lots in the auction is Lot 208, a tortoise
shell mask from the Torres Strait Islands of Papua, New Guinea.
It is 7 5/8 inches high and was once in the collections of
Julius and Josepha Carlebach and Zafira and Itzhak Shoher of Tel Aviv.
The catalogue entry notes that Douglas Fraser once wrote that
the Torres Straits masks are "one of the outstanding art forms of the
primitive world." It has an estimate of $150,000 to $250,000. It sold for $146,500.
Lot
131, reliquary figure, Kota, Gabon, 27 3/8 inches high
The
dramatic cover illustration of this auction's catalogue is a close-up
of Lot 131, a Kota-Ndasa mbulu-ngulu Reliquary figure from the Southern
Kota Region in Gabon. It is 27 2/8 inches high. In an essay
in the catalogue, Dr. Louis Perrois notes that this lot "is of great
age, dating from the early nineteenth if not the late
eighteenth centuries. It is a major work of its
genre,...and constitutes one of the accomplished jewels of Kota
statuary. The frontispiece of the catalogue is a black-and-white
photograph of a collection of 11 such figures that belonged to the
American artist Arman and this work is included in the
photogragh. It has an estimate of $1,000,000 to
$1,500,000. It
sold for $1,082,500.
Lot
192, Buyu male ancestor figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18
1/8 inches high
Lot
192 is a Buyu male ancestor figure from the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. It is 18 1/8 inches high. The catalogue
entry notes that "it was the American art impressario and
philanthropist Albert C. Barnes, presumably acting on the
advice of Modigliani's dealer Paul Guilaume, who made Buyu art famous
by using the features of a Buyu face...as modular element for the
stucco frieze surrounding the main entrnace of The Barnes
Foundation in Lower Merion [Pa.] which opened its doors to the public
in 1926."
The lot has an estimate of $600,000 to $900,000. It sold for
$2,434,5000, a world auction record for a Buyu sculpture.
Lot 72,
female figure, Dogon, Ogol circle of artists, Mali, 24 1/2 inches high
Lot 72
is an impressive Dogon female figure from the Ogol circle of artists in
Mali. It is 24 1/2 inches high and has once been in the
collection of John J. Klejman of New York. The lot is one of
17 known similar works and is notable for its lack of eyes and the
angularity of the treatment of arms. The lot has an estimate
of $250,000 to $350,000.
It sold for $542,500.
Lot
84, anthropomorphic Toguna housepost, Dogon, Mali, 58 1/2 inches high
Lot 84 is a very evocative
and lovely Dogon Toguna housepost from Mali that is 58 1/2 inches high.
It is from the collection of Susan and Jerry Vogel of New
York. It has an estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for $34,375.
Lot 189,
Salampasu mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 11 3/4 inches high
Lot
189 is a memorable Salampasu mask from the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. It is 11 3/4 inches high. It has an estimate
of $60,000 to $90,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot
122, Ancestor figure, Mumuye, Nigeria, 35 3/4 inches high
Lot
122 is a Mumuye ancestor figure from Nigeria. It is 35 3/4 inches high.
It has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $110,500.
Lot 164, "bone figure, Azande, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 7 1/4
inches high
Lot
164 is an Azande bone figure from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
It is 7 1/4 inches high and was once in the collection of
Julius Carlebach, Stanley Marcus and Martin Lerner. It has an
estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It
sold for $512,500, an auctin record for an Azande sculpture.
