Catalog (359)

Shrine object, Yoruba, Nigeria/Benin. H. 74 cm, mid 20th century or older. Ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague.

Bochio figure, Fon, Benin H. 42 cm, hardwood. Nice cubist figure with good age wear.

Colon figure, Lobi, Burkina Faso. H. 43 cm. Excellent wear and patina. Mid 20th century. Ex Pierre Taliercio, France.

Ancestor figure. Ca. Mid 20th century. Strong posture and very good patina. The lower legs eaten by termites. H. 46 cm (51cm including the stand).

Benue Plateau, mid 20th century. H. 40 cm. Ex Robert van der Heijden, Amsterdam. Ex Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, March 2014. The Djompre are a small ethnic group with their homeland in the Benue Plateau State in northern Nigeria. They call themselves Kutep or Kutev, the denomination Djombre - which means cannibals - has probably been given to them by the neighbouring Chamba.

Caryatid stool with a sitting female figure. Hardwood, h. 26 cm, diameter 23 cm. First half of the 20th century. minor repair to one leg. The earrings have been replaced. Provenance: Donald Taitt, Paris, Aponem Auction, 2019, J.M. Desaive, Herve, Belgium

Depicting a female spouse figure ‘Blolo Bla’. H. 13 cm. first half of the 20th century. Great age wear and patina. Ex coll. Maine Durieu, Paris. The Baule believe a person is married to both an earthly and a spirit spouse. This sculpture honored its owner’s spirit partner to bring peace, luck, and money. Scarifications on her face and body individualized and enhanced her idealized beauty. The figure stood in the owner’s bedroom where, once a week, he slept alone so they could be together in the dream world. It is rare to find these figures in miniature.

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.

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).

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.

With a great offering patina. H. 16,5 cm. Mid 20th century or older. Ex Galerie Maine Durieu, Paris

Lovely small bird fetish from the early to mid 20th century. H. 24 cm. Ex Jean-Marc Desaive, Belgium, Ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague, The Netherlands, Ex Berry de Bruijn, Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands.

Anthropomorphic Lega mask from the Kievu & Maniema region in Eastern Congo. H. 22 cm. First half of the 20th century. Provenance: Hans Petereit, Cologne, Germany Fily Keita, Los Angeles, USA Michel Boulanger, Liège, Belgium Goldfield Auctions, Luxembourg, 27 June 2021, Lot 105. Guy van Rijn archive: ao-0186890-001

Tugubele figures represent helpful bush spirits. The belong to the local ritual expert of the Senufo people, assisting them with their oracles and predictions. This figure dates from the first half of the 20th century and shows good signs of use. Provenance: André Vanhecke, Belgium, Srdjan Sremac, The Hague.

These fertility fetishes were placed in the ground to promote the growth of crops. They were named after Legba, a trickster god of Vodun, who was usually pictured as young, virile, horned and phallic. H. 43 cm, first half of the 20th century. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021), The Netherlands.

Baule maternity, Côte d’Ivoire. Made for sale by a traditional Baule carver in the 1920’s-30’s. According to Guy van Rijn there were two workshops in those days, where traditional Baule carvers produced objects for commercial purposes. H. 44 cm. Left hand missing, right arm repaired. Ex Dutch private collection, ex Srdjan Sremac, The Hague.