Sotheby's New York
10 AM, May 13, 2019
Sale 10065
Catalogue has this photograph of Harry and Ruth Franklin from the 1940s
By Carter B. Horsley
The
May 13, 2019 auction of Pacific Art From the Collection of Harry A.
Franklin of Beverly Hills at
Sotheby's New York is highlighted by a sensuous and sinuous
Invai-Ewa Spirit Figure from the Karawari River, Middle Sepik River, in
Papua New Guinea.
Lot 54, Inyai-Ewa Spirit Figure, Karawari River, Middle Sepik River, Papua New Guinea, wood, pigment, 42 3/4 inches high, left; detail, right
The figure, Lot 54, is 43 3/4 inches high.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Inyai-Ewa carvings fom the rainforest of the Upper Karawari River region in northern Papua New Guinea took the Western world by surprise following their discovery in remote caves...in the 1960s. Kept protected from moisture in rock-shelters, these carvings were spared from rot and are of considerable antiquity, dating as far back as the sixteenth century."
This lot has an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It was passed at $26,000.
The sale total was $2,178,750 with only 48 of the 87 offered lots selling.
Lot 54, Inyai-Ewa Spirit Figure, Karawari River, Middle Sepik River, Papua New Guinea, wood, pigment, 42 3/4 inches high, left; detail, right
The figure, Lot 54, is 43 3/4 inches high.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Inyai-Ewa carvings fom the rainforest of the Upper Karawari River region in northern Papua New Guinea took the Western world by surprise following their discovery in remote caves...in the 1960s. Kept protected from moisture in rock-shelters, these carvings were spared from rot and are of considerable antiquity, dating as far back as the sixteenth century."
This lot has an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It was passed at $26,000.
The sale total was $2,178,750 with only 48 of the 87 offered lots selling.
Lot 32, Canoe Prow (Naho), probably Archin or Vao, northeast Malakula, Vanuatu, wood, 24 inches long
Lot
32 is a very fine wooden canoe prow (Naho) probably Archin or Vao, from
northeast Malakula, Vanuatu. It is 24 inches long and a closely
related work is in the collection of musee du quai Branly - Jacques
Chirac in Paris. This lot has an modest estimate of $8,000 to
$12,000. It was passed at
$7,500.
Lot 39, Maori dancing figure, New Zealand or Bay of Plenty, wood, 14 inches high
Lot 44, Easter Island wood sculpture, 22 inches high
"Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is the most remote inhabited location on earth and is home to the mysterious world- famous stone heads known as Moai. Closely related to these Moai in style and iconography, but not as well- known, are the island’s extraordinary smaller wood sculptures. Depicting a human head with a stoic stare, this enigmatic Wooden Sculpture is, to our knowledge, unique. The figure’s steadfast expression is counterbalanced by the dynamic pose of the arms, which emerge from the underside of the head. Originally in the collection of legendary dealer and collector of Modern Art, Alfred Flechtheim, during the 1920s, the sculpture subsequently passed to Pierre Loeb – another pivotal figure in the history of Modern Art – who loaned it to the historic exhibition at the galerie du théâtre Pigalle in Paris in 1930. Helena Rubinstein acquired the sculpture from Loeb in the 1930s and displayed it in the fireplace of her New York City apartment."
Helena Rubenstein with Prince Artchi Gourelli-Tchkonia in their home at 300 Park Avenue, 1938 with the present lot in the fireplace. Photo by MCNY/Gottscho Schlisner/Getty Images
Lot 41, "Maori Canoe Bailer," New Zealand, wood, 23 inches long
Lot 24, Tolai Mask, Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, wood, bark cloth, White-bellied Sea Eagle feathers, Dwarf Cassowary feathers, 19 inches high
Lot 26, "Ancestor Figure (Uli)," New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, wood pigment, Turban snail opercula, fiber, 44 inches high
Lot 60, Iwaino Figure, Urama Island, Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea, wood, pigments, 14 1/2 inches high
Lot 79, Eight daggers, northern Cassowary bone, Papua New Guinea, largest 14 3/4 inches high
Lot 39, Maori dancing figure, New Zealand or Bay of Plenty, wood, 14 inches high
Lot 39
is a great Maori dancing figure in wood from New Zealand or Bay of
Plenty. It is 14 inches high.
It is remarkable for its pose of a lifted leg, which th catalogue suggests indcates a challenge, and its fearsome and lenghty hands with three fingers.
It has a estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It was passed at $32,000.
It is remarkable for its pose of a lifted leg, which th catalogue suggests indcates a challenge, and its fearsome and lenghty hands with three fingers.
It has a estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It was passed at $32,000.
Lot 44, Easter Island wood sculpture, 22 inches high
Lot 44 is a striking wood sculpture
from Easter Island that is 22 inches high.
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is the most remote inhabited location on earth and is home to the mysterious world- famous stone heads known as Moai. Closely related to these Moai in style and iconography, but not as well- known, are the island’s extraordinary smaller wood sculptures. Depicting a human head with a stoic stare, this enigmatic Wooden Sculpture is, to our knowledge, unique. The figure’s steadfast expression is counterbalanced by the dynamic pose of the arms, which emerge from the underside of the head. Originally in the collection of legendary dealer and collector of Modern Art, Alfred Flechtheim, during the 1920s, the sculpture subsequently passed to Pierre Loeb – another pivotal figure in the history of Modern Art – who loaned it to the historic exhibition at the galerie du théâtre Pigalle in Paris in 1930. Helena Rubinstein acquired the sculpture from Loeb in the 1930s and displayed it in the fireplace of her New York City apartment."
Helena Rubenstein with Prince Artchi Gourelli-Tchkonia in their home at 300 Park Avenue, 1938 with the present lot in the fireplace. Photo by MCNY/Gottscho Schlisner/Getty Images
The lot
has a modest estimate of $150,000 to $250,000. It was passed at $130,000.
Lot 41, "Maori Canoe Bailer," New Zealand, wood, 23 inches long
Lot
41 is an impressive Maori canoe bailer from New Zealand that is 23
inches long.
It has an estimate pf $25,000 to $35,000 and was passed at $22,000 but subsequently "reopened" and sold for $25,000.
Lot 42, "Maori Gable Figure (Tekoteko)," New Zealand, probably Bay of Plenty, wood, 37 3/4 inches high
Lot 23, Mask for Kipong, Northern New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, wood, pigments, Turban snail opercula, fiber, 29 1/2 inches wide
It has an estimate pf $25,000 to $35,000 and was passed at $22,000 but subsequently "reopened" and sold for $25,000.
Lot 42, "Maori Gable Figure (Tekoteko)," New Zealand, probably Bay of Plenty, wood, 37 3/4 inches high
Lot 42
is an impressive Maori gable figure from New Zealand, probably Bay of
Plenty. It is 37 1/3/4 inches high and was once in the collection
of Andre Breton and Helena Rubenstein.
It has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It sold for $740,000.
It has an estimate of $500,000 to $700,000. It sold for $740,000.
Lot 23, Mask for Kipong, Northern New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, wood, pigments, Turban snail opercula, fiber, 29 1/2 inches wide
Lot
23 is a marvelous mask for Kipong. a funeral ceremony in northern New
Ireland. It is 29 1/2 inches wide.
The lot has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $30,000.
The lot has an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000. It sold for $30,000.
Lot 24, Tolai Mask, Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, wood, bark cloth, White-bellied Sea Eagle feathers, Dwarf Cassowary feathers, 19 inches high
Lot
24 is a fabulous Tolai Mask from the Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain,
Bismarck Archipelago, that is made of wood, bark cloth, White-bellied
Sea Eagle feathers, Dwarf Cassowary
feathers. It is 19 inches high. It has an estimate of
$60,000 to $90,000. It sold for
$65,000.
Lot 26, "Ancestor Figure (Uli)," New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, wood pigment, Turban snail opercula, fiber, 44 inches high
Lot
26 is a large and imposing ancestor figure (Uli) from New Ireland,
Bismarck Archipelago. It is 44 inches high. It has an
estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $237,500.
Lot 60, Iwaino Figure, Urama Island, Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea, wood, pigments, 14 1/2 inches high
Lot
60 is an very impressive wood sculpture of an Iwaino Figure from Urama
Island in the Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea. It is 14 1/2 inches high.
It has a modest estimate of $2,000 to $3,000. I was the underbidder and it sold for $3,500.
It has a modest estimate of $2,000 to $3,000. I was the underbidder and it sold for $3,500.
Lot 79, Eight daggers, northern Cassowary bone, Papua New Guinea, largest 14 3/4 inches high
Lot 79
is a group of nicely carved daggers of Northern Cassowary bone from
Papua New Guinea. The largest is 14 3/4 inches high. It has
an estimate of $3,000 to $5,000.
It sold for $3,750.
Preview
and recap of The Shape of Beauty The Collection of Howard and Saretta
Barnet at Sotheby's New York May 14, 2018 with a great Fang-Mvai
statue, a lovely Greek bronze of a horse, and spell-binding , Olmec
serpentine figure of a dwarf (5/14/18, updated 6/4/18)
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Preview and recap of Art of Africa, Oceania & the Americas at Sotheby's New York May 15, 2017 with a great Kwele mask from the Sangha Region of the Republic of the Congo, a Chokwe female figure from Angola, a female statue from Lake Sentani, Papua, Indonesia, a Kanak figure from New Caledonia, a Canoe Prow Figure from New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, a Mayan stone sculpture of a serpent, and a Bamileke animal from Cameroon (5/15/17, updated 7/30/17)
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Preview and recap of Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas auction at Sotheby's New York May 14, 2018 with fabulous Yoruba altar stave and sheath, a Colima vessel in the form of an antler, a great Veracruz stone statue of a priestess, a Yaka power figure with eight "babies," and a powerful Mambila figure from Cameroon (5/14/18, updated 6/6/18)
Preview and recap of The Collection of Edwin & Cherie Silver of Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at Sotheby's New York November 13, 2017 with fine examples of Kota, Bamana, Hemba and Fang sculpture (11/12/17, updated 1/26/18)
Preview and recap of Art of Africa, Oceania & the Americas at Sotheby's New York May 15, 2017 with a great Kwele mask from the Sangha Region of the Republic of the Congo, a Chokwe female figure from Angola, a female statue from Lake Sentani, Papua, Indonesia, a Kanak figure from New Caledonia, a Canoe Prow Figure from New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, a Mayan stone sculpture of a serpent, and a Bamileke animal from Cameroon (5/15/17, updated 7/30/17)
Preview and recap of Evolution of Form: African & Oceanic Art at the Genesis of Modernism at Christie's New York May 12, 2016 with superb worksincluding the Helena Rubenstein Dan Mask and a Baule Female Figure attributed to the Rockefeller Master (5/10/16, updated 8/22/16)
Preview and recap of African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art auction at Sotheby's New York May 7, 2016 with a masterly and very rare Uli statue, a superb Vera Cruz greenstone yoke, an excellent Sulka helmet mask from Papua New Guinea, two excellent Kanak roof spires from New Caledonia and a wonderful Mayan standing lord with removable headdress (5/7/16, updated 8/15/16)