Sotheby's African Tribal Art Pre-Columbian Kuba Songe Colima Auction Catalog 04

Description:
Post Auction Catalog(s) Title: Sotheby's African, Oceanic & Pre-Columbian Art Auction held in: New York Sale Date: 11/11/04 No. of Lots: 301 No. of Pages: 256 Condition: Good Illustrated in Color New York, New York - On November 11, 2004, Sotheby's will hold its fall sale of African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art, featuring an important selection of classic African works of art, in addition to a number of Mayan cylinders and Jaina figures from private collections and estates. The property will be on exhibition in Sotheby's sixth floor galleries from November 6th to 10th at 1 PM, and the sale is expected to bring $4.1/5.7 million. Highlighting the sale is a Bangwa male commemorative figure of a king, of Fotabong Nsheu, pictured on page 1. Following Sotheby's 1990 sale of a famous Bangwa commemorative queen figure, formerly in the Helena Rubinstein and Harry Franklin Collections, which sold for $3.4 million and holds the world record for an African work of art sold at auction, Bangwa royal figures are among the most renowned African works of art. The work of a master carver, this powerful figure is 41 inches high and exhibits a straight back, tense suspension of the bent arms, an elongated and arching neck set against the opposing plane of the expressionistic head, all unified by layer upon layer of a deep, blackened patination. In the same celebrated tradition of representing royalty as the earlier queen figure, he is adorned with royal accoutrements including a drinking horn and pipe in each hand, a series of bracelets, a beaded collar and a ceremonial headdress. This effigy has been in a private European collection since the 1960s, and the estimate is available upon request. From the Rosenberg Collection is a magnificent Songe female power figure with an exceptionally fine blackened patina, pictured left (est. $30/40,000). The highly-stylized figure has an angular jaw, heavy-lidded eyes and an elongated neck encircled with glass beads, as well as a notched coiffure inset with a resin magic binder and horn. Another figure, almost certainly by the same hand, is in the collection of the British Museum. A fine and rare Dayak, Kalimantan, baby carrier from the Collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler will also be included in the sale, pictured right (est. $30/50,000). Assembled primarily in the 1950s and 1960s, this collection is among the foremost African and Oceanic collections. Dayak baby carriers held only the babies of high-ranking members of society and one of this condition is extremely rare. The carrier itself, as well as the motifs, was all intended to protect the baby from malevolent spirits, particularly in the early months of life. Selections of works from the Collection of William Hughes Hayden, a banker and philanthropist who began collecting in the 1970s, will be featured. Mr. Hayden collected African art thoughtfully, and his aesthetic pursuits were complemented by his support of numerous charitable causes in Africa. Among the highlights from his Collection is a superb Yoruba Gelede headdress, pictured left, which was used among the western Yoruba near the Nigeria-Benin border. Intended for instruction and reinforcement of Yoruba social values, the Gelede ceremonies were held during funerals of dignitaries and during times of crisis (est. $20/25,000). Another African work, an example of exceptional early craftmanship is a rare and important Benin bracelet, circa 16th century (est. $100/150,000). This delicate bracelet is characterized by its extremely thin hollowed cylindrical form. Intricately carved, its exterior is highly-decorated with a repertoire of complex Benin motifs including two images of a central king, or Oba figure, flanked by two high-ranking chiefs and central Oba figures supported by attendants. Among the Oceanic works offered in the sale is a superb New Guinea flute-stopper male figure from a European Private Collection has crescent-shaped eyes, a pierced nose and a crown of cassowary feathers, pictured right (est. $280/350,000). Carved without the use of metal tools, this magnificent figure was used for ceremonial purposes and mounted on a bamboo flute in Lower Sepik River, Yuat River, Biwat. The Pre-Columbian section will feature approximately thirty works from The Charles Pankow Collection, which comprises a distinguished group of Maya ceramic objects with notable examples of both polychrome and carved vessels and a concentration of Jaina figures. Made for both the ruling class and popular use, the Maya material provides a close look at characters in the iconography of the Maya myth, the Popul Vuh, and sheds light on the ideals of Maya society. From this collection is a Mayan standing dignitary Jaina, Late Classic, ca. A.D. 550-950, pictured left, a figure with a simple loincloth, jade ornaments and headband holding back a fringed coiffure (est. $15/20,000). Also from the Pre-Columbian offering is a fine Mayan codex vessel, Late Classic, ca. A.D. 550-950, well-published and widely recognized and for its importance within the repertoire of codex vessels, pictured below (est. $100/150,000). Among the most elegantly painted vase of the school typified by the Princeton vase, the iconography eloquently illustrates one of the most important figures of the Maya pantheon, the aged deity Pawatuun, a principal god of the scribes, instructing young lords. Another feature of this section is a large Maya lidded blackware vessel, Early Classic, ca. A.D. 250-450, majestic in proportion with a high-domed lid and rattle tetrapod legs (est. $100/150,000). The vessel is finely-incised with two panels on the exterior and vividly depicts iconography of the Underworld of Maya mythology, a zoomorphic creature with a scrolled pupil on the watery surface of the Underworld. Buying & Selling Auction Catalogs since 1995. Auction Catalogs is our Bizness - With over 100,000 online sales and still counting - Supplying Buyers and Sellers from all over the World. ON MULTIPLE PURCHASES YOU CAN BID & BUY OVER A 10 DAY PERIOD - IF YOU WISH - & WE'LL SEND YOU COMBINED SHIPPING CHARGE (SAVING YOU $$) INCLUDED WITH YOUR INVOICE. You can view our vast selection of Auction Catalogs from our Ebay Storefront. Because auction catalogs are printed in limited numbers they become collectible right after the sale of that particular auction. 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