Lot 339, "Baga D'Imba Headdress, Republic of Guinea, 39 inches high
By
Carter B. Horsley
The
May 16, 2014 auction at Sotheby's New York of African, Oceanic and
Pre-Columbian Art including property from the Krugier and Lasanky
Collections includes many superb works including a Baga D'Imba
headdress from the Republic of Guinea, a Fang Anthropomorphic harp from
Gabon or Equatorial Guinea, a Veracruz figure of a priestess, a Mayan
lidded blackware vessel with a water bird, and a Ngbandi male ancestor
figure from theRepublic off Congo.
Lot 339 is an impressive Baga D'Imba headdress from the Republic of Guinea. It is 39 inches high and was once with Julius Carlebach of New York. It comes from the Makler Family Collection that was created by a major Philadelphia collector and dealer and a similar work was once owned by Nelson Rockefeller. It is 39 inches high. It has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $701,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
The auction total was $6,011,690 with 71.3 percent of the 181 offered lots selling.
Lot 339 is an impressive Baga D'Imba headdress from the Republic of Guinea. It is 39 inches high and was once with Julius Carlebach of New York. It comes from the Makler Family Collection that was created by a major Philadelphia collector and dealer and a similar work was once owned by Nelson Rockefeller. It is 39 inches high. It has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $701,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
The auction total was $6,011,690 with 71.3 percent of the 181 offered lots selling.
Lot 315, Guardian figure (jut),
Jorai, from a funerary house in Vietnam, 50 inches high
One
of the strongest works in the auction is Lot 315, an eroded Jorai
guardian figure (jut) from a Vietnamese funerary house. It is
50 inches high. It is from the estate of Jan Krugier and was
once in the collection of Freddy Rolin of New York. It has a
modest estimate of $7,000 to $10,000. It sold for $40,625.
Lot 325, Figural headcrest, Siane, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, 49 1/2 inches
Lot
325 is a superb and rare Siane figural headcrest from the Eastern
Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It is 49 1/2 inches
high. This headcrest was used in a ceremony held every three
years which involves initiation rites and the killing of pigs.
The diamond-shaped body represents the moon, the round head
represents the sun, and the angular arms and legs represent passages to
be made. It has an estimate of $60,000 to $90,000. It sold for $75,000.
Lot 333A is a Sawfish headdress (Kaissi), Bidjogo, Bissagos Island, Guinea-Bissau, 29 5/8 inches
One
of the auction's most spectacular pieces is Lot 333A, a Bidjogo sawfirh
headdress from Bissagos Island in Guinea-Bissau. It is 29 5/8
inches high and was reproduced in Allen F. Roberts's book on "Animals
in African Art from the Familiar to the Marvelous" in 1995.
It has an estiamte of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $40,625.
Lot 344, "Mask," Ibibio, Nigeria, 35 inches high
Lot
344 is a very fine Ibibio mask from Nigeria that is 35 inches high and
was once in the collections of John J. Klejman and Mr. and Mrs. Klaus
G. Perls. It has a modest estimate of $12,000 to $18,000.
It sold for
$10,000.
Lot 296, Female figure, Mossi, Burkina Faso, 23 3/4 inches high, eyes inlaid with metal
Lot
296 is a Mossi female figure from Burkina Faso. Its eyes are
inlaid with metal and the figureis 23 3/4 inches. It is from
the estate of Jan Krugier. It has an estimate of $10,000 to
$15,000. It
sold for $10,000.
Lot 282, Anthropomorphic harp, Fang, Gabon or Equatorial Guinea, 28 1/4 inches high
The
cover illustration of the catalogue is Lot 282, a Fang anthropomorphic
harp from Fang or Equatorial Guinea. It is 28 1/4 inches
high. It is from the collection of Mauricio and Emilia
Lasansky of Iowa City and he acquired it in Madrid in 1953-4.
It has been widely exhibited and published, It has
an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. It sold for $485,000.
Lot 369, Memorial head, Akan, terracotta, Ghana, 7 1/2 inches high
Lot
369 is a rare Akan terracotta memorial head from Ghana that is 7 1/2
inches high. The catalogue entry states that "this
magnificent head is one of the most beautiful Akan terracotta heads
known," adding that the "cranial deformation, archaic style and overall
surface condition suggest great age. It has an estimate of
$40,000 to $60,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 308, Male ancestor figure, Ngbandi, Ubangi River Region, Democratic Republic of Congo, 28 3/8 inches high
Lot
308 is a Ngbandi male ancestor figure from the Ubangi River Region of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is 28 3/8 inches
high. It is from the estate of Jan Krugier and was in the
collection of Pablo Picasso in 1912. It has an estimate o
$250,000 to $250,000. It
sold for $755,000.
Lot 372, Divination sculpture, Fon, Kingdom of Dahomey, Benin, 9 1/4 inches high
Lot
373 is a fine Fon divination sculpture from the Kingdom
of Dahomey, Benin. It is 9 1/4 inches high. It is
the back cover illustration of the catalogue. It has
an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $305,000.
Lot 353, Kneeling man, iron Dogon-Niongom, Mali, 8 1/8 inches high
Lot
353 is an excellent iron kneeling man, Dogon-Niongom, Mali.
It is 8 1/2 inches high and holds bells in each hand and has
scarification on its front and back. It has an estimate of
$15,000 to $25,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 230, "Lidded blackware vessel with water bird, Maya, Early Classic, circa A.D. 250-450, 9 3/8 inches high
Lot
230 is a "fine" Mayan lidded blackware vessel with a water bird, Early
Classic, circa A.D. 250-450. It is 9 3/8 inches high and is a
supernatural depiction of a cormomant and was once in the collection of
Jay C. Leff and exhibited in a show of his collection at the Brooklyn
Museum of Art in 1966-7. It has an estimate of $75,000 to
$100,000. It
sold for $75,000.
Lot 227, Stone effigy metate, Costa Rican, Guanacaste-Nicoya region Late Period IV- Period V, circa A. D. 300-700, 25 inches long
Lot
227 is an impressive Costa Rican stone effigy metate from the
Guanacaste-Nicoya region, Late Period IV-Period V, circa A.D. 300 -700.
It is 25 inches long and is eelaborately decorated with a
fluid meander of geometric designs. It has an estimate
of $10,000 to $15,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 346, Bird headcrest, Bamileke, Cameroon, 21 1/2 inches long
Lot
345 is a very storng Bamileke bird headcrest from Cameroon.
It is 21 1/2 inches long and has been widely exhibited.
It has an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It sold
for $15,000.
Lot 263, head of a monkey, Veracruz, Classic, circa A.D. 450-650, greenstone, 8 inches high
Lot
263 is an impressive and very fine greenstone head of a
monkey,Veracruz, Classic, circa A.D. 450-650. It is 8 inches
high and it has a prominent median head crest indicating both
a tail and a phallic image It was exhibited at the Walters
Art Gallery in Baltimore from 2002 to 2010. It has an
estiimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It sold for $56,250.
Lot 322, Zoomorphic Spear-Thrower Ornament, Lower Sepik River, Coastal Region, or Schouten Islands, East Sepick Proinvce, Papua New Guinae, 6 1/2 inches long
Lot
322 is a fine zoomorphic spear-thrower ornament from the Lower Sepik
River, Coastal Region, or Schouten Islands, East Sepik Province, Papua
New Guinea. It is 6 1/2 inches long. It is from the estate
of Dr. David V. Becker and once was in the collection of Jay C,
Leff of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. It has an estmate of $5,000
to $7,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 253, Effigy vessel of a shark, Colima, Protoclassic, circa 100 B.C.- A.D. 250, 15 inches long
Lot
253 is a fine Colima effigy vessel of a shark eating a man,
Protoclassic, circa 100 B.C.-A.D. 250. It is 15 inches long.
It was exhibited at the Chicago Art Institute in 1998 and the
LosAngles County Museum in 1999. It has an estimate
of $15,000 to $25,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 201, Wari Deity Head vessel, South Coast Region, circa A.D. 600-1000, 5 5/8 inches high
Lot
201 is a rather ferocious looking Wari Deity Head vessel from the South
Coast Region, circa A.D. 600-1000. It is 5 5/8 inches high
and has a serrated coiffure line with tearpaths of feline-headed
serpents on the cheeks. It has an estimate of $6,000 to
$9,000. It sold
for $68,750.
Lot 264, Figure of a Priestess, Veracruz, Late Classic, circa A.D. 550-950, 11 inches high
Lot
264 is a fine and very impressive Veracruz figure of a priestess, Late
Classic circa A.D. 550-950. It is 11 inches high.
It was exhibited at the Edward Merrin Gallery in New York in
1970 and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 1993 to
2010. It is property of Shelly M. Donhofer. It has
an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $75,000.
Lot 383, Zoomorphic terracotta pipe, Shiluk, South Sudan, 10 7/8 inches
One
of the most beautiful objects in the auction is Lot 383, a Shiluk
zoomorphic terracotta pipe from South Sudan. It is 10 7/8
inches high an a similar one is at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
The lot has an estimate of $5,000 to $7,000. It failed to sell.
See The City Review article on the Fall 2013 article on the African and Pre-Columbian Auction of Alan Stone's Collection at Sotheby's New York
See The City Review article on the Spring 2012 Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas auction at Christie's New York
See The City Review article on the Spring 2009 auction of African and Oceanic Art from the Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation at Sotheby's
See The City Review article on the Fall 2008 African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian art auction at Christie's