Art/Auctions logo: African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art Auction at Sotheby's New York, May 15, 2015

Lot 124, Ngbandi female figure, hippopotamus tooth, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6 3/4 inches high

By Carter B. Horsley

The African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbia Art auction at Sotheby's May 15, 2015 is highlighted by a great Ngbanid female figure, a magnificent Moche ear ornament, s double flute with a supernatural iguana from Veracruz, a monumental head from Papua, New Guinea, a large Fang Ngli mask from Gabon, a Luba Male statue by the Warua Master, an impressive Luluwa mask from the Kasai Region, a fine Luena mask, an exquisite Bamana female marionette bust from Mali, and a wonderful Attie figure from the Ivory Coast.

Lot 124 is a superb Ngbandi female figure carved out of a hippopotamus tooth from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is only 6 3/4 inches high and was once in the collection of Ladislas and Helena Segy of New York.

According to the catalogue entry, "Ngbandi sculpture is extremely rare and no other ivories of comparable quality are known. The style of this minature figure is however not without precent in larger Ngbandi sculpture as well in other minature scuptures in wood which exhibit the same morphology of the head and face." The Ngbandi come from the northwest Congo in what is known as the Ugbandi River Region. The entry notes that the fiture is "a particularly elegant expression" and that "the astonishingly elongated head is faceted and notched to present the face and coiffure." "Small round breasts the only recognizable features on an otherwise abstract scooped body that flanges toward the base, balancing the volume of the head. The rounded linear ridges that border the face are rendered in high relief and enclose a field of tidy repeated lines on the reverse repsenting the coiffure."

The lot has a modest estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It sold for $25,000.

The sale total was $12,144,375 with about two-thirds of the 189 offered lots selling.

Lot 7, a gold and turquoise inlay ear ornament, Moche, circa A.D. 200-500, 3 1/2 inches in diameter

Another wonderful objects for connoisseurs is Lot 7, a large and very fine, Moche gold and turquoise inlay ear ornament, circa A.D. 200-500. It is 3 1/2 inches in diameter and was exhibited at the Isaac Delgado Museum of Art in 1968. The disk has a warrior holding a club and shield beneath two avian-warriors also holding clubs. The lot has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It failed to sell.

Another major Pre-Columbian object is Lot 34, a large Chontal stone figure from the Guerrero region, Late Preclassic, circa 300-100 B.C. It is 24 inches high and is made of schistic serpentine. The figure has his arms crossed on his chest in "a reverent posture." It has an estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 60, head vessel of the deity Ehecatl, Colima, Protoclassic, circa 100 B.C.- A.D. 2050, 9 1/2 inches high

Lot 60 is an impressive Colima head vessel of the deity Ehecatl, Protoclassic, circa 100 B.C.-A.D. 250. It is 9 1/2 inches high and was once in the collection of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lancaster. The open mouth with intriguing upper lip character and ornate helmet greatly animate this work. It has an estimate of $35,000 to $45,000. It sold for $37,500.

Lot 72, Seated figure of a lord, Mayan, Jaina, Late Classic, circa A.D.550-950, 11 3/8 inches high

Lot 72 is a imposing figure of a seated Mayan lord from Jaina, an island off the Campeche coast that is Late Classic, circa A.D. 550-950. It is 11 3/8 inches high. The figure is wearing a hat with several circular containers for flowers, a large necklace, a long cloth and ornate sandals. He is missing part of his left arm but the sculpture is otherwise in fine shape with some traces of blue paint. The lord had large ear pieces and is wearing a mustache. The lot was once in the Jay C. Leff Collection and was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum in 1968. It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $150,000.

Lot 76, Figure of a hanging captive, Mayan, Jaina, Late Classic, circa A.D., 550-950, 8 1/2 inches high

Lot 76 is from the same culture and period of Lot 60 and is of a captive hanging from ropes attached to his pierced back. It is 8 1/2 inches high. The catalogue notes that it is "rare" and adds that it was once in the collection of Andre Emmerich Inc., and was exhibited in 1975 at The Art Museum at Princeton University. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 61, Hacha of an avian, Veracruz, Late Classic, circa A.D. 550-950, 6 1/4 inches high

Lot 61 is a very impressive and dramatic stone hacha of a parrot from Veracruz, Late Classic, circa A.D. 550-950. It is 6 1/4 inches high and has large jade disks for its eyes. It has a modest estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $8,750.

Lot 64, Double Flute with supernatural iguana, Veracruz, Late Classic, circa A.D. 550-950, 11 1/4 inches long

Lot 64 is a spectacular double flute surmounted by a "supernatural" iguana from Veracruz, Late Classic, circa A.D. 550-950. It is 11 1/4 inches long and was once in the collection of Jay C. Leff and has been exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. It has an extremely modest estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. It sold for $10,625.

Lot 85, Ancestor or spirit figure, Kanak, Belep Islands Archipelago, New Caledonia, stone, 10 7/8 inches high

Lot 85 is a stone ancestor or spirit figure with a large head of the Kanak culture on the Belep Islands Archipelago in New Caledonia. It is 10 7/8 inches high and was collected by Father Pierre Lambert between 1856 and 1863. It has an estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $250,000.

Lot 88, Monumental head from a Marada Malagan, Tabar Island, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, 21 1/4 inches high

Another large and less interesting head is Lot 88, a "monumental head from a Marada Malagan, Tabar Island, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea," is 21 1/4 inches high. It once belonged to Baudouin de Grunne of Brussels and then to Bill and Ann Ziff. The catalogue entry says that "these heads, on their wickerwork bodies, may have been used in the rainmaking process as well as in a malagan ritual context. It has an estimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000. It sold for $1,054,000.

Lot 107, Luba Male statue by the Warua Master, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 16 1/2 inches high

Another object from the Baudouin de Grunne and Ziff collections is Lot 107, a Luba statue of a male by the Warua Master from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is 16 1/2 inches high. It has been exhibited at the Museum for African Art in New York and that National Museum of African Art in Washington in 1996 and widely published.

The catalogue devotes 12 pages to this lot. The catalogue essay by Heinrich Schweizer states that the work "is rightfully considered to be artist's greatest masterpiece...[and] is oneof the most iconmic works ofCongolese sculpture" and has "inspired some of the greatest connoisseurs of African Art in their work, including Philippe Guimiot, Jacques Kerchache and Ezio Bassani."

It has an estimate of $3,000,000 to $5,000,000. It sold for $3,610,000.

Lot 101, male reliquary figure, Fang-Ntumu, Northern Gabon

Lot 101 is a forceful Fang-Ntumu male reliquary figure from Northern Gabon that is missing its hands and feet. In his catalogue entry, Louis Perrois remarks that "this unique masterpiece transcends geography, time and cultural difference, presenting an eternal image of an ancestor whose wrinkled face quietly speaks of his maturity and wisdomk while his formidable body testifies to his strength and reproductive capacity, remembering the grandeur and humanism of the Fang of Equatorial Africa." It has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 100, Fang Ngil mask, Gabon, 22 inches high

Lot 100 is a Fang Ngil mask from Gabon that is 22 inches high. It was owned by Prince Saddrudin Aga Khan of Geneva. It has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. It sold for $970,000.

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Lot 111, Luluwa Mask, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 15 3/8 inches high

Lot 111 is a very good Luluwa mask from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is 15 3/8 inches high and was published in William Rubin's "'Primitivism' in 20th Century Art: Affinities of the Tribal and the Modern" in 1984. It was once in the collection of Philippe Guimiot of Brussels. It has an estimate of $400,000 to $600,000. It sold for $490,000.

Lot 114, Lwena mask from Angola or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6 1/4 inches high

Lot 14 is a good Lwena that is 6 1/4 inches high and either from Angola or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the catalogue entry by Alexander Grogan it is "the finest Lwena mask in existence," adding that it is "exceptionally refined." It has an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 188, head, Edo, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, terracotta, circa 16th Century, 9 1/2 inches high

Lot 188 is a good Edo terracotta head, circa 16th century, fromthe Benin Kingdom in Nigeria. It is 9 1/2 inches high. It was acquired in Benin City circa 1951-2 and was in the collection of Merton D. Simpson of New York and Robin Symes of London. It was illustrated on the cover of M. Peter Piening's "Masterpieces of African Sculpture" in 1964, In his catalogue essay, Heinrich Schweizer notes that while there are hundreds of brass Benin heads, only about 60 terracotta heads are known. It has an estiamte of $400,000 to $600,000. It sold for $1,930,000.

Lot 189, "head representing a rule," Udo kingdom, Nigeria, circa 15th-16th Century, 9 inches high

The Udo kingdom thrived about 50 miles away from Benin City in Nigeria in the 15th-16th Century and Lot 189 is a bronze head representing a Udo ruler. It is 9 inches high. It was once in the collection of Carroll S. Tyson, a painter, of Philadelphia. The catalogue suggests that there may be only about 16 such heads. It has a modest estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $730,000.

Lot 143, Bamana female marionette bust, Mali, 27 1/4 inches

Lot 143 is an exceptional Bamana female marionette bust from Mali. It is 27 1/4 inches and it is the most beautiful object in the auction. It was once in the collection of Samuel Goldwyn Jr. of Los Angeles. It has a very modest estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $9,375.

Lot 156, Attie figure, Lagoons Region, Ivory Coast, 21 5/8 inches high

Lot 156 is an impressive Attie figure from the Lagoons Region of the Ivory Coast. It is 21 5/8 inches high and was once in the collection of Merton D. Simpson of New York. The catalogue entry notes that little is known about these ladder-shaped figure that are "inventively reductive abstraction." It has a modest estimate of $12,000 to $18,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 161, Bassa Janus Bundu mask, Liberia, 17 inches high

Lot 161 is a very impressive Bassa Janus Bundu mask with a spectacular headdress from Liberia that was acquired by Charles D. Miller II from Esther Jawara in Liberia in the 1970s. It is 17 inches high. It has a modest estimate of $15,000 to $25,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 178, Mask, We-Ubi, Ivory Coast, 13 1/2 inches

Lot 178 is a very dramatic and ferocious mask that is We-Ibi from the Ivory Coast. It is 13 1/2 inches high and its many twisted horn shapes suggest, according to the catalogue, a tarantula, "rendering it invincible." It has a modest estimate of $7,000 to $10,000. It sold for $21,250.

Lot 181, statue, Mumuye, Nigeria, 49 inches high

Lot 181 is a large Mumuye statue from Nigeria that is 49 inches high and was once in the collection of Philippe Guimiot of Brussels. The catalogue entry notes that prior to the discovery by Guimiot and Kerchache in the late 1960s the "only accessible example of this tradition in Western museums was a figure that entered the British Museum in 1922" and which was the subject of several drawings by Henry Moore that year. It has an estimate of $60,000 to $90,000. It sold for $62,500.

Lot 180, Vertical mask, Benue River, probably Wurkun or Bikwin, Nigeria, 56 3/4 inches high

Lot 180 is a spectacular and large vertical bask from the Benue River in Nigeria that is probably Wurkun or Bikwin. It is 56 3/4 inches high and comes from the Liz Claiborne Collection. It has an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It failed to sell.

Lot 91, a gable ornament figure, Maori, New Zealand, 26 1/8 inches high

Lot 91 is a very fine Maori gable ornament figure from New Zealand that is 26 1/8 inches high. It was collected in situ in the 1840s and was exhibited at the Museum of the Northamptonshire Regiment in Abington Park, United Kingdom from 1938 to 1982. It has a modest estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $75,000.

Lot 166, "Baga altar figure (Elek)," Guinea, 13 inches high

Lot 166 is a very handsome Baga altar figure (Elek) from Guinea. It is 13 inches high., It was once in the collection of Nelson A. Rockefeller and has been widely exhibited. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It failed to sell.