Christies African and Oceanic Art - 2013

Madison Ancient and Tribal Art

thomas murray

Sothebys exhibition - 18th Juin 2013

                                  I find the estimate on this piece to be particularly suprising,

Notes et Provenance du Catalogue

45

MIMIKA ANCESTOR STATUE, IRIAN JAYA

Estimation: 60,000 - 90,000 USD(46,447-69,671 EUR)

Provenance

Private Collection, Germany
Charles Edouard Duflon, Geneva, acquired from the above
Private Collection, Brussels, acquired from the above

Description

According to Meyer (1995: 77), the "Mimika live on the central southern coast of western New Guinea [Irian Jaya], between Triton Bay, the south-eastern boundary of the Korvar area, and the Otokwa River, the western fringe of the Asmat.  The art of the Mimika people is related to its western and eastern neighbors.  Mimika art is more or less unknown outside of the Dutch collections.  It is a strongly architectured art form, with human figures typically carved in a combination of solid and 'empty' parts."

A closely related Mimika statue in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden (inv. no. "1971-590a") was collected prior to 1913 and has been interpreted as representation of a pregnant woman. Statues of women count amongst the rarest in the museum's collection. 

They were all collected in eastern Mimika territory and seem to have been ritually used during a ritual of the name kiawa, a local variant of the emakame ritual which celebrated the creation of man and the renewal of life. During the rituals four female figures were placed together in the ceremonial house (for further discussion seeKooijman 1984: 25-31). 

Kooijman (1984: 25) notes that all female figures are of overall cylindrical form and represented in standing position with bent legs, curved arms and hands held to the chin. While most other Mimika female figures are represented with body scarification featuring the navel (mopere) motif, a reference to the motherly navel and sign of fertility and the renewal of life, the offered lot does not feature any scarification.  However, the upwards pointing element emerging from the stomach and held with both hands could represent the umbellical cord.  Other distinctive features of the offered lot are the pointed head and the dense horizontal lines on the figure's face and cross-hatched motif on the reverse. The emakame ceremony is based on a myth involving a snake-woman Mirokoata and her son Mirikoatajao (Pouwer 1983: 144-145) and it is possible that these features of the offered lot evoke the reptile mother.

THE COBBS AUCTIONEERS: April 27th

Zemanek-Munster auction announcement

Newsletter April 17, 2013

73rd tribal art auction

Dear Mr. Potts, Auction: Saturday, 25th May 2013 – 2 pm Preview: Wednesday, 22nd May through Friday, 24th May – 10 am to 7 pm  Saturday, 25th May – 9 am to 1.30 pm Detailed information will be available in our online- and print-catalogue as from May, 6th. With best regards Petra Felder M.A. public relation Bilingual catalogue english - german one issue / subscription three issues Europe 41 € / 123 €, Rest of World 48 € / 144 € (incl. shipment) Abroad no cheque - please make use of bank transfer. Bank: Sparkasse Mainfranken Wuerzburg, Account: 36699, BLZ 790 500 00 IBAN: DE 06 7905 0000 0000 0366 99, SWIFT: BYLADEM 1 SWU Further information: Our Website Online catalogue order

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bonhams auction announcement

	Catalog Now Online African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art May 15, 2013 New York
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sothebys sale

SALE ANNOUNCEMENT NEW YORK | 16 MAY 2013

African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art Featured is an exceptional selection of artworks of the highest quality, many with long and distinguished provenance, publication and exhibition histories. Highlights include two iconic African masterpieces: an Eket Ogbom Headdress, Nigeria (pictured here), and a Mambila Female Ancestor Figure, Cameroon. The selection from Oceania is led by a monumental and archaic telum statue of a mythical heroine from Astrolabe Bay in northeastern New Guinea. Important private collections represented include those of Warren M. Robbins and Balene McCormick. The Pre-Columbian portion of the sale will feature a large and important Veracruz standing figure, as well as an impressive selection of ancient Olmec, West Mexican and Costa Rican artworks.

update - Une collection polémique à succès

Hopi, Arizona, vers 1880. Masque heaume angwusnasomtaqa ou Tumas Crow Mother, cuir, ailes de corbeau, bois, plumes d’Amazonie, duvet d’aigle. Frais compris : 198 272 €.

Une collection polémique à succès Le suspens concernant le déroulement de cette vente aura duré jusqu’à la dernière minute. Le caractère sacré des 70 masques hopis présentés a provoqué aux États-Unis une vague de protestations, en premier lieu de la part de leur tribu d’origine, qui a saisi par l’intermédiaire de l’ONG Survival International un juge de référés pour en empêcher la dispersion. Cela en vain, permettant à cette collection de recueillir un joli succès, puisque les 62 masques cédés étaient crédités d’un total de 935 596 € frais compris. Le masque reproduit emportait la part du lion ; estimé au plus haut 50 000 €, il fusait à 160 000. Il s’agit d’un des plus hauts prix recueillis pour un masque hopi. Ce masque mère-corbeau de la première mesa, vers 1880, incarne la mère des kachina-fouetteurs, Hu. Elle est aussi appelée la mariée-corbeau sur la troisième mesa. 35 500 € allaient à un masque demi-heaume à mentonnière Chakwaina, vers 1870-1880, en cuir sommé d’une abondante chevelure en peau d’agneau, ornée de plumes d’aigle et de faisan. Terrifiant, "celui qui crie" représente l’ancêtre du clan Asa, "Esteban le Maure", arrivé en 1539, juste avant la conquête du Nouveau-Mexique par Francisco Vaquez de Coronado. 28 000 € s’affichaient ensuite sur un rarissime masque heaume Zuni kâna-kwe mosona, vers 1890, en cuir majoritairement blanc, le nez tubulaire en bois peint. Ce masque de chef revêt une grande importance pour les Hopis. Le heaume To’tsa vers 1890-1900 illustrant l’encadré page 43, Gazette n° 13, se négociait 18 000 €. Notons pour terminer que la maison de ventes accordait des frais réduits (12 %) aux achats effectués en vue d’une restitution aux Hopis. C’était le cas, à 3 700 €, pour un masque clown sacré kooyemsi, vers 1910-1920, une cagoule en tissu ocre rouge achetée par la fondation Joe Dassin. Le chanteur, titulaire d’un diplôme d’ethnologie, avait été "adopté" dans les années 1960 par les Hopis. Vendredi 12 avril, salle 7 - Drouot-Richelieu. Néret-Minet - Tessier & Sarrou SVV. Cabinet Mickeler - Geneste.