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LOT 2388
West African Squatting Stone Figure Pair
KISSI TRIBE, EARLY 20TH CENTURY A.D.
7 7/8 - 9 1/4 in. (2.55 kg total, 20-23.5 cm).
Carved stone statues (twins) from Sierra Leone; two steatite anthropomorphic carvings, one male and one female, both with hands wrapped around the knees. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Sierra Lione, West Africa.
From an old Norwich, UK, collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Tagliaferri, Aldo, Hammacher, Arno, Die steinernen Ahnen, Graz 1974.
FootnotesThe Kissi as early as the 15th century, revered soapstone (steatite) anthropomorphic carvings, which are found in fields and rivers in the area centered around Sewa and Mano rivers. The Kissi people call them Pomdo (Pombo), which mean "the deceased". Some of their carvings are extremely old. These statues were the abodes of the spirits of their ancestors. In order to find out which ancestor a statue represented; a man’s dreams were analyzed with the help of the diviner. At festivities the statue was wrapped in cotton upon which sacrificial blood had been poured. The owner (the guardian of the statue) placed it on the family altar; hence it was thought to be the family’s protector against sickness. It was also consulted before a new undertaking was planned. The statues were believed to have supernatural power and were used in rice cultivation. Remarkably, the descendants of the Kissi people still keep up the tradition of stone carving.
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Papuan New Guinea Polished Stone Axehead
19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Lentoid in section and linguiform in profile with fine polished surface. 457 grams, 18.5 cm
Acquired on the UK art market in the 1980s. From an East Anglian private collection. -
African Wooden Ceremonial Face Mask
Lega Warega Tribe, early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Teardrop-shaped in plan with two scooped facets, slit eyes; pierced around the edge for attachment. 57 grams, 14.7 cm
From Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa. From the Estate of Dr J Bynon; acquired 22 February 1914. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Most of Lega masks are sculptures of a human face that are rarely worn over the face and never for purposes of true transformation. The Lega masks can be assigned different uses and meanings depending on the context of the performance. In Bwami ceremonies, masks are attached to different parts of the body, fixed to hat, piled in stacks, hung on fences, held in the hand, dragged on the ground, and occasionally worn on the forehead with the beard draping over the face of the wearer or arranged on a miniature palisade. Participants in most rites display their masks as a group in conjunction with particular dance movements and aphorisms, which vary depending on the context in which they are used. Lega masks differ from those used in many other African masquerades in that while women do not own them, both men and women handle and present them in very similar performances. Masks are among the initiation objects displayed on the grave before being passed to new owners. They are usually passed from an uncle to a nephew. -
African Wooden 'Akuaba Doll' Fertility Figure
Ashanti Tribe, 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Carved from dark-coloured, lightweight wood in traditional form and dyed dark brown; with a large, round head, plain hairstyle, large eyes and typical tribal scarification marks on the forehead. 159 grams, 31.5 cm
From Ghana, West Africa. Ex private collection of Mr.N.J., Leicester, UK. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
Among the Ashanti people in Ghana, women hoping for offspring carry these ‘Akuaba dolls’ in their clothes. Traditionally, these ‘Akuaba’ have a large, round, flat head that is reminiscent of its origin as a representation of the moon goddess, which is associated with fertility. Once the ‘Akuaba’ figure has fulfilled its purpose, the mother of the desired child places it on her domestic altar, where it is worshipped in a shrine, or she passes it on to the next generation.
