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LOT 2398
African Decorated Clay Spindle Whorl Collection
MALI, CIRCA 10TH CENTURY A.D.
2 - 2 1/8 in. (320 grams total, 50-54 mm).
Each discoid in plan and lentoid in section with central perforation and incised geometric ornament. [4, No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx private Oxford ethnographical collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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African Ashanti Bronze Snake Gold Weight
Akan Tribe, 19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
D-shaped in section with impressed segmentation to the back, raised head. 144 grams, 25 cm
From an old Oxford, UK, collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Pende Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Carved with scarification panels to the cheeks and forehead, protruding mouth with teeth, flat nose and a neck panel below the chin. 560 grams, 37.5 cm
From Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa. From the collection of the late Professor R M Hicks, OBE. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Pende masks are among the most dramatic works of all African art. There are two styles: the western one of the Kwilu with its mbuya mask characterized by a somber, gloomy expression, and the Kasai style that is more geometric and colorful. The Kwilu Pende are especially well known for their masks that were originally used for circumcision ceremonies but later became accessories for a type of popular theater. The minganji, or masks of power, represent the ancestors; the mbuya, or village masks, represent human types, such as the chief, the diviner, the epileptic with a twisted mouth, the madman or man in a trance, the widow, the lover, or the executioner. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Chokwe Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
A carved face mask, decorated with lengths of fibre representing hair, with small nose, carved teeth and scarification. 285 grams, face long: 20 cm
From Western Ivory Coast, West Africa. From the late Brian Morley collection, 1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.