Catalog (359)

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).

Kuba figure, a workshop piece from ca. 1920-1940. This sculpture is typical for the Ecole de Mushengé. This was a school for crafts in the Kuba capital founded by Belgian missionaries, the Josephite fathers from Ghent. The numbers at the bottom confirm this. It represents a nobleman. H. 27 cm. A great example of early commercial carving. Provenance: a Dutch family by descend from their grandparents who lived in Congo.

Mongo drum, DRC, 1st half of the 20th century. H. 73 cm. Dry patina. Provenance: Robert van der Heijden, Amsterdam, Piet van Boxel (1938-2021),The Hague, collector of ethnic musical instruments.

Inca colonial Kero, Peru, 17th/18th century. H. 13 cm. Provenance: In my collection since the mid 90’s, bought from an Amsterdam antique dealer.

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

Seated figure, Nayarit, West Mexico, 100BC-250AD. H. 16,5 cm. The head restored. Ex Dutch auction house, ca. 2005.

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

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

Ogboni, Brass, Yoruba, Nigeria. H. 18 cm. 19th/early 20th century. The iron pins are missing. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932 - 2021).

Gelede mask - Yoruba - Ohori - Benin. H. 25 cm. Mid 20th century. Guy van Rijn archive ao-0110592-001. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021).

Standing figure, Nayarit, West Mexico, 100BC-250AD H. 19,5 cm. Good condition: chip to the right ear and a minor repair to the tip of the nose. Good manganese deposits. Ex Dutch private collection, collected in the 1970’s.

Seated hunchback figure, Jalisco, Mexico, 100BC-250AD H. 18 cm. Good condition with great manganese deposits and traces of plant roots. Ex Dutch auction house, ca. 2005, since then in my private collection.

Bakongo dance staff/rattle H. 32 cm, early 20th century Inlaid eyes. Some missing parts, see pictures. Rare and early object.

Fertility doll. H. 16,5 cm. Mid 20th century.

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.

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.

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.

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

Attractive figure from the first half of the 20th century. Serene face, great coiffure and the arms and hands positioned in front of the body. H. 34 cm. Provenance: Ex. Christensen Fund Collection. Coll. Number CC/40296 under the base of the figure (now invisible). Ex. Srdjan Sremac, The Hague. Guy van Rijn archive: ao-0202547-001.

H. 20 cm, mid 20th century. The clapper is missing. Ex coll. Ursula Voorhuis (1932-2021), The Netherlands.

A well used mask from the early 20th century. H. 20 cm. Ex Spanish private collection, collected in 1958.

H. 20 cm. First half of the 20th century.  Ex Paolo Morigi (1939-2017), Magliaso-Lugano, Switzerland, Ex Nadya Levi (1929-2021), Antwerp, Belgium, Ex Fily Keita, Los Angeles, USA.

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.

Impressive hardwood figure from the Benue region. H. 57 cm. Mid 20th century. Ex coll. Dr. Harald Simon, Germany.

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

The gourd container with a hardwood stopper with a head. H. 17 cm. Mid 20th century.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.