Catalog (359)

Bamana Sukun mask First half 20th century. Parts of the ears and a kind of horn on the forehead are missing. Traces of polichromy. Rare mask with great age! Ex Swiss private collection. H. 40 cm Stand included.

H. 9 cm. Mid 20th century or a bit older. For a similar spoon see the screenshot of the Van Rijn Archive.

Hardwood, first half 20th century. H. 18 cm. Old insect damage. Ex private collection Belgium, collected in Abidjan in 1968.

Zoömorphic stool. The top carved with 2 figures and a pair of fish. The stool has four legs and an animal head. Dimensions: 41 x 20 x 12 cm. Mid 20th century. Ex private collection Italy.

Very large doll made by a known carver. H. 40,5 cm. Second quarter of the 20th century. Condition: both arms reattached. Lovely honey brown patina. The style of this Akuaba with its unusual coiffure is described in the book ‘Akua’ba Asante Wednesday Child’ by Ron van Doorn and Herbert M. Cole. Provenance: Robert van der Heijden, Amsterdam. (Vetter at Parcours des Mondes, Paris).

Depicting two figures that are tied to one other. H. 22 cm. Ca. mid 20th century. Custom made stand included.

Very rare and fine bronze figure of a woman holding her breasts. H. 14,5 cm. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021), The Netherlands.

A rare piece of early Maroon culture. Surinamese Maroons (Marrons or Businenge, meaning black people of the forest) are the descendants of enslaved Africans that escaped from the plantations and settled in the inland of Suriname (Dutch Guiana) and French Guiana. The Surinamese Maroon culture is one of the best-preserved pieces of cultural heritage outside of Africa. Dimensions: H. 32 cm, W. 42 cm, D 21 cm. Ex Arjan Hollestelle, The Netherlands.

Two females from the Egba sub group of the Yoruba’s. H. 23 cm. First half of the 20th century. Ex French private collection. Condition: old insect damage and some old repairs to the ears of one of the figures.

First half of the 20th century. H. 56 cm. Ex Lucas Ratton, Paris. Ex Jan Kusters, Eindhoven. Ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague. Custom made stand included.

This tall figure was made by the Jompre people of Nigeria, although this appears to be an offensive name, probably given by the neighbouring Chamba, and meaning ‘cannibals’. Alternative names for the Jompre include Kutep, Kuteb, Kutev, Mbarike and Zumper. They inhabit the Benue Valley, on the border of Nigeria and Cameroon, an area that is still relatively undocumented. They number approximately 15,000 and are divided into a number of clans, each associated with a particular mountain, and traditionally without a centralised authority. The masks and sculptural forms of this small cultural group resemble those of the neighbouring Jukun and Chamba of western Cameroon. H. 50 cm. Mid 20th century. Ex Klaus Paysan, Stuttgart, Germany, ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague, The Netherlands.

Two offering vessels in the shape of an Alpaca, carved from natural stone. In the back a chamber is drilled; it was filled with llama fat or coca leaves. These votive figures were left in the fields as an offering to the Earth goddess Pachamama. H. 6 cm. Dating from the 15th/16th century. Ex Dick Meijer, Amsterdam.

Large door lock from a door of a granary. H. 53 cm.  Mid 20th century. Ex French private collection.

Amazing Ibeji from Abeokuta with a deep glossy patina, dating from the early 20th century. H. 23 cm. Ex Ruth van Caelenbergh, Brussels, ex Sylvain Pette, France, ex Ian Shaw, UK, ex Mason Huynh, USA. Polished surface, restored at the base.

Unusual Baule mask with three hair knots, large scarifications around the eyes and on the cheeks. A pendant on the forehead. The Van Rijn archive mentions that , according to oral history’ this mask was collected ca 1900, so it would date from the 19th century. H. 32 cm. Ex French colonial collection, ex private German collection until 2021.

Mid 20th century. H. 60 cm. ex Robert van der Heijden, Amsterdam. ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague.

From West-Nepal comes this spirit figure that served as a protector for villages, bridges and temples. H. 44 cm. Mid 20th century. Ex Jean-Marc Desaive, Belgium.

H. 48 cm, first half of the 20th century. Provenance: Private collection New York Bonhams New York, 12 May 2011 lot 2077. Estimate 8.000-12.000 USD (unsold). Guy van Rijn archive: ao-0006772-001