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LOT 2341
African Brass Kano Bracelet Pair
OKOMBO TRIBE, LATE 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/2 in. (92 grams total, 63 mm each).
Penannular in form with plain white brass body and cone-shaped finials. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Nigeria, West Africa.
From an old Derby, UK, specialist collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The bracelet is the most common money form in Africa. It served the important monetary functions of portability and wealth display. Variants of this form were accepted virtually everywhere in Africa.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Ashanti Bronze Gold Figural Weight Collection
Akan Tribe, 19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Including a figure using a hoe, another carrying a basket on her head and other types. 150 grams total, 49-64 mm
From an old Oxford, UK, collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial 'Maiden Spirit' Face Mask
Igbo Tribe, early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
A mask with long narrow face, painted white; narrow protruding sharp nose; slit eyes; closed mouth; small ears, arching eyebrows, incised hair design and above this is an elaborate openwork construction in brown, yellow and white. 1.4 kg, 56 cm
From South-West Nigeria, West Africa. From an old Newbury, UK, ethnographic collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Agbogho mmwo, or "maiden spirit," masks are worn by men at festivals that honour important deities. They represent the Igbo ideal of female beauty: small, balanced features, elaborate hairstyles, and delicate tattoos. The men who dance in agbogho mmwo masks wear colourful, tight-fitting fibre costumes, entertaining the crowd with exaggerated versions of women's dances. -
African Wooden Ancestor Figure
Yoruba Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
A hand-carved standing female figure with hands placed by the side and scarification to the face, breasts and stomach. 600 grams, 44.5 cm
From Southwest Nigeria, West Africa. From an old Bristol, UK, ethnographical collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Human figures are represented in a fundamentally naturalistic way, except for bulging eyes; flat, protruding, and usually parallel lips; and stylised ears. Within the basic canon of Yoruba sculpture, many local styles can be distinguished, down to the hand of the individual artist.