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LOT 2329
African Wooden Fertility Figure
YORUBA TRIBE, MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
19 1/8 in. (1.1 kg, 48.5 cm).
Carved in the round standing male figures with tall hatched headdress extending to the rear, hands placed either side of his distended abdomen, knees flexed, standing on a plano-convex base. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom South West Nigeria, West Africa.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The Yoruba are the largest nation in Africa with an art-producing tradition. Their figures, more often of Shango (also spelled Sango and Sagoe), deity of thunder and lightning are carved from wood and kept in shrines.
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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African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Senufo Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Carved with a narrow face, protruding flat nose, slit eyes, an open mouth displaying teeth, protruding ears and scarification; hollow to the reverse. 382 grams, 32 cm
From Bukina Faso, West Africa. From a Glasgow ethnographical collection; formed 1940s-1950s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Salampasu Tribe, early to mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Piriform and hollow to the reverse, with white-painted lower face, long nose, a square red-painted mouth with carved teeth; mounted on a custom-made stand. 855 grams total, 39 cm including stand
From the frontier between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola, Central Africa. From a private London, UK, ethnographic collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Salampasu masks were integral part of the warriors’ society whose primary task was to protect this small enclave against invasions by outside kingdoms. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Mossi Tribe, early-mid 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Comprising an ellipsoid hollow face with parallel tusks; board of pierced geometric elements. 779 grams, 81 cm
From Burkina Faso, West Africa. Private Hampshire, UK, collection of tribal art; acquired in the 1960s. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Masks were regarded as the seat of the spirit, but they might also represent the totemic animal of the clan.
