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LOT 2347
African Wooden Mother with Child Fertility Figure
FANG TRIBE, EARLY-MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
27 in. (1.38 kg, 68.5 cm).
A hand-carved female figure standing on a base holding a child in front of the figure and displaying scarification to the face and breasts. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Equatorial Guinea, West Coast of Central Africa.
From an old Bristol, UK, ethnographical collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
The people that are called “Fang” in the geographic or ethnographic literature number 800,000 and constitute a vast mosaic of village communities, established in a large zone of Atlantic equatorial Africa comprising Cameroon, continental Equatorial Guinea and nearly the whole north of Gabon, on the right bank of the Ogowe River. The Fang practice a cult devoted to ancestor lineages, the Bieri, whose aim is to both protect themselves from the deceased and to recruit their aid in matters of daily life. Bieri are reliquary figures placed by the Fang upon their bark boxes to personify the tribal soul, containing the skulls and skeletons of prominent deceased persons. The Bieri also served for therapeutic rituals and, above all, for initiations of young males during the great so festival. The rites included consumption of a plant with stimulant properties, which induced a trance lasting for several hours, and the “resuscitation of the ancestors,” in which figures detached from the reliquaries were moved somewhat playfully from behind a raffia screen as puppets.
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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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. -
Vunikau War Throwing Club
Fiji, 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
A natural root club with a good patina of age and wear; hide thong for suspension. 391 grams, 34.2 cm
From Fiji, South Pacific. From an old Northern Ireland collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
“The club was the Fijian warrior's favourite weapon. He had his spears, from ten to fifteen feet long and often richly carved, efficient bows and arrows, and slings for throwing stones; but, although these had each its special use, none approached the club in popularity.” R. A. Derrick, “Notes on Fijian Clubs, (With a System of Classification)”. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Crocodile Face Mask
Bobo Tribe, mid-late 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
A simplified crocodile head, painted red and black, rough shaped eyes and pegged teeth. 870 grams, face long: 33 cm
From Mali, West Africa. From the estate of a West Sussex, UK, collector. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
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