AFRICAN PRIMITIVE ARTS

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Democratic Republic of Congo Kongo fetish Wood, glass, fibre H.19 cm - W.14 cm (base) Provenance: Jean-Pierre Lamour, Paris, acquired in the 1980s from a Parisian gallery owner, passed on by descent

Democratic Republic of Congo Kongo fetish Wood, glass, fibre, metal H.20 cm - W.15 cm (mounted) Provenance: Jean-Pierre Lamour, Paris, acquired in the 1980s from a Parisian gallery owner, passed down through the generations.

Nigeria Yoruba offering cup Wood H.35 cm - L.23 cm Among the Yoruba, it seems that the cup is the receptacle for Kola nuts, which are presented as a gesture of peace and welcome, as well as for communication with invisible forces. The cup-bearer represents an intermediary, a medium for bringing otherworldly forces into our lives. Divination is performed by observing the contents of the cup, which has been shaken by the medium.

Nigeria Couple of Ibeji statue, Yoruba Wood, pearl, pigment H.23 cm - W.8 cm (plinth)

Gabon Fang reliquary head Wood, old erosion patina, pearl inlay H.27 cm - W.15 cm (plinth)

Gabon Kota Shamaye reliquary figure Wood, copper alloy H.42 cm - W.15 cm (plinth)

Gabon Mask used in Punu initiation or funeral ceremonies Wood, kaolin, pigment H.30 cm - W.19 cm (base)

Equatorial Guinea Fang reliquary figure Wood H.49 cm - W.17 cm (plinth)

Gabon Fang reliquary figure Wood H.53 cm L.13 cm (plinth) According to Perrois, reliquaries, wooden effigies and personal relics were discreetly placed behind the bed of the head of the family. Important deceased members of the lineage could also be buried in the head of the family's own bedroom to protect their remains.

Democratic Republic of Congo Kongo Yombe fetish statue, Bakongo Wood, nails, glass, belly charges H.63 cm - W.21 cm (plinth)

Democratic Republic of Congo Spectacular Songye statue Wood, horns, nails, beads H.64 cm - W.14 cm (plinth) The Nkissi play the role of mediator between God and man, providing protection against various evils and dangers.

Democratic Republic of Congo Male ancestor figure, Hemba/Kusu Wood H.56 cm - W.18 cm (plinth)

Cameroon Bangwa royal ancestor figure Wood H.44 cm - W.12 cm (plinth) Seated on his throne, holding a sceptre in one hand, he wears the imposing headdress typical of royal ancestors.

Gabon Punu mask Wood, kaolin, pigment H.34 cm - W.17 cm (Sold without base)

Gabon Kota Ndasa reliquary figure Wood, copper H.41 cm - W.15 cm (plinth)

Gabon Kota Sango reliquary figure Wood, copper, bone H.21 cm - W.8 cm (base) Provenance: Jean-Pierre Lamour, Paris, acquired in the 1980s from Galerie Vérité, passed on by descent

Nigeria Mumuyé figure Wood, kaolin H.49 cm - W.13 cm (plinth)

Ivory Coast Dan mask Wood, rope H.27 cm - W.16 cm (base) Provenance: Acquired in the 80s from the Pierre Robin gallery, Paris

Ivory Coast Senufo / Fononbele female figure Wood, deep brown patina H.32 cm - W.10 cm (base) Intended for Tugubele divination, the Tugubele are genies who live in the bush or in termite mounds and should not be disturbed during agricultural work. Provenance: Jean-Pierre Lamour, Paris, acquired in the 1980s from a Parisian gallery owner, passed down through the generations.

Cameroon Bulu Fang reliquary figure Wood, basketry, skull H.45 cm - W.30 cm This impressive figure of a monkey has a large cavity to hold the bones. Located on the border between Cameroon and Gabon, the BULU are part of the Fang group, not far from the BAKWELE, who are culturally close to them. Like the FANG of southern Cameroon, famous for their large white masks from 1880 to 1910, the BULU practised the ngi ritual to combat witchcraft, particularly poisoning. Ngi is the gorilla, a fearsome animal with which postulants identify once they have been accepted into the association. Few monkey statues have survived, but they are striking for their invention of simple, round shapes and for their keen observation of the animal's attitude.

Democratic Republic of Congo Kongo fetish Wood, pigment, glass, metal H.60 cm (plinth)

Democratic Republic of Congo Nkissi" Songye protection figure Wood, horn, pearl, metal H.68 cm - W.16 cm (base) The Nkissi play the role of mediator between God and man, providing protection against various evils and dangers.

Democratic Republic of Congo Nkissi" Songye hermaphroditic protection figure Wood, cornel, belly charge H.87 cm - W.19 cm (base) The Nkissi play the role of mediator between God and man, providing protection against various evils and dangers.

Nigeria Exceptional Jukun figure, north-east region Wood H.83 cm - W.22 cm (plinth) Commemorative statue of a royal ancestor displayed at a funeral or for apotropaic purposes. Provenance: Jean-Pierre Lamour, Paris, acquired in the 1980s from a Parisian gallery owner, passed on by descent. During his fieldwork in 1965 in the villages of Gwana and Pindiga, in the north-eastern region of Jukun country, Arnold Rubin documented several anthropomorphic figures of the same type as this lot. He described their style as the Jukun "nuclear style", referring to what he considered to be the core of classical Jukun statuary in the north-east. This style is characterised by its powerful stylisation of the human body, whose purely geometric representation is reduced to a harmonious set of concave and convex volumes. According to information obtained by Rubin, most of these figures were commemorative representations of royal ancestors. "The images represent deceased chiefs, their wives and guardians, and are mainly used to invoke their spirits. Such incarnation is said to be reserved for the founding ancestors and their most important successors" (Rubin, A., 2011, ibid., p. 300).

Gabon Rare Galoa maternity unit Wood, polychrome, raffia H.84 cm - L.21 cm This large statue depicts a woman carrying her child on her back, her arm raised. Her generous breasts reinforce the symbols of fertility. Its patina shows that it is very old. Provenance: former colonial collection of a serving administrator.

Angola Tchokwé zoomorphic seat Wood H.27 cm - W.24 cm - L.72 cm Provenance: former French collection acquired from the Pierre Dartevelle gallery in the 1980s.

Nigeria Keaka Heaume Mask Wood, polychrome H.43 cm - L.21 cm

Nigeria Idoma Crest Wood, kaolin, pigment H.41 cm - W.30 cm

Cameroon Mambila "tadep" statue Wood, kaolin H.44 cm - W.10 cm (plinth) The Mambila believe that the well-being of the living depends essentially on the intercession of the spirits and ancestors. This is why they must be appeased and their benevolence sought, so that they can ensure fertility, health and prosperity. These therapeutic statuettes are the tangible abodes of the spirits of the ancestors; offerings are made to them and they are treated with magical and medicinal substances.

Cameroon Rare Janus Mambila tadep Wood, pigments, kaolin H.33 cm - W.15 cm (plinth)

Gabon Vuvi mask Wood, kaolin, raffia 38 cm high - 22 cm long (Sold without base) Provenance: Former colonial collection of a serving administrator, passed down through the generations. This type of mask was found in the central region of Gabon, the Monts Du Chaillu, at the heart of a vast triangle between M'bigou, Mimongo and Koulamoutou, where the Vuvi, Sango and Tsogho lived side by side. Depending on whether they were used during the day or at night, their symbolic function could change completely, from popular rejoicing to initiatory fear (Perrois, 1979, p.266). Vuvi masks have flat or slightly convex faces and a tendency towards highly simplified stylisation. The colours are always the same: white face and details highlighted in black and red ochre. A costume of woven straw completely covered the wearer, concealing his or her identity. The costume swayed with the dancer's acrobatic movements.

Nigeria/Cameroon Keaka ladle Wood, crusty patina from use H.46 cm - W.13 cm (plinth)

Nigeria Mama zoomorphic crest Wood, pigment, crusty patina H.60 cm - L.17 cm (Sold without base)

Ivory Coast Dan mask Wood H.25 cm - W.14 cm (base)

Nigeria/Cameroon Keaka figure Wood, crusty patina H.40 cm - W.11 cm (plinth)

Nigeria Exceptional and rare Ifé commemorative head Bronze, 15th-17th century Thermoluminescence test by Laboratory Ralf Kotalla on 21/05/2010. Provenance: private collection of a Franco-Belgian artist. The artists were able to design these bronzes on the model of contemporary terracottas. A long tradition of terracotta sculpture with similar characteristics existed before these metal sculptures were created. As for their use, the large heads were perhaps used as effigies of the dead at funeral ceremonies, which still take place among the Yoruba some a year after the rapid burial of the dead imposed by the tropical climate. Most of the small bronzes and terracotta heads were produced for the altars of Ife's many sanctuaries, or in memory of sacrificial victims.

Nigeria Mumuyé figure Wood H.68 cm - W.12 cm (plinth)

Gabon Fong reliquary figure Wood, black patina, cowries 61 cm high - 16 cm long

Nigeria Mbembe Maternity Hospital Wood H.78 cm - W.24 cm The female figure and infant in this work share many features with the sculpture of a mother and child in the Met collection. Similar features, such as the head that narrows at the chin, the raised shape of the ears, the broad cylindrical neck that abruptly crosses the pronounced horizontal of the shoulders and the fusion of the hands with the knees so that the arms and legs form continuous undulating lines, suggest that a single sculptor made both works.

Nigeria Ekpu "Oron ancestor figure Wood H.94 cm - L.19 cm Kept on altars dedicated to the worship of ancestors inside or outside homes, they can also be placed in the house of the spirits and on tombs.

Nigeria/Cameroon Keaka figure Wood, crusty patina H.56 cm - W.18 cm

Nigeria Iphri altar statue, Ijo Wood H.54 cm - W.18 cm (plinth)

Democratic Republic of Congo Rare Mbole mask Wood, kaolin H.22 cm - W.23 cm

Nigeria Afikpo Igbo mask Wood, polychrome H.43 cm - L.18 cm (Sold without base)

Nigeria Igbo mask Wood, kaolin H.78 cm - W.37 cm (Sold without base)

Nigeria Chamba mask Wood H.80 cm - W.30 cm (Sold without the base)

Cameroon Batcham mask Wood H.101 cm - W.50 cm The Batcham mask, or simply Batcham, is native to western Cameroon, although its name refers to the place where it was first found: Batcham. In most of the villages where this mask has been found, it represents power and a position in the traditional social hierarchy; it belongs to the Nsop (Bandjoun region), Kah (Batcham/Mbouda region) and Troh (Bangoua) societies. These are mostly secret societies that use this mask exceptionally to celebrate the enthronement of a new king, the funerals of great dignitaries and during ritual dances.

Ciwara Bamana crest Mali, wood H.62 cm - W.26 cm (base) Representing a stylised antelope, used during the agrarian rites of the CIWARA (Ty-wara) secret society, one of the six secret institutions that organise Bambara society.