Many works of art in traditional societies of sub-Saharan Africa and the islands in the Pacific Ocean served to convey the status of the owner within their culture, as there was no written form of communication. Only those of high status could afford the top artists, capable of creating exceptional works of art which stood out among others, serving as symbols of prestige.

Here our African, Oceanic, and Pre-Colombian Art Specialist, Fredric Backlar, shares his favorite lots from our upcoming African & Oceanic Art auction on 27 April 2023.

Lot 6
Extremely Rare and Large Currency Disc, rai, Yap Islands, Caroline Islands

Widely known for its giant stone money called rai, Yap stone currency is the largest and most unusual form of money in the world. Mined from an island nearly 250 miles away from their small islands in Micronesia—the furthest western group of islands in the Pacific Ocean—these large stone wheels were transported on rafts attached to outrigger canoes. Many Yapese were killed during transport, making these even more rare. Not surprisingly, it took great wealth and status to commission a stone, and clearly size did matter. Anyone passing by the dwelling of the person who commissioned this rai stone, over two feet in diameter, would immediately identify the owner as a person of high status and wealth.

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Lot 27
Fine Rapa Nui Staff, ua, Easter Island

Wood was very scarce in Rapa Nui during the early contact period, and these long ua were highly valued and prestigious symbols for prominent chiefs as marks of sacred and secular powers. An ua was essentially an enlarged hand club and would have most likely been a symbolic reference to the role of a chief as leader in war, where he must appear stoic and stern, much like the classic expression of the ua presented here.

Lot 28
Important Hook Pendant Necklace, lei niho palaoa, Hawaiian Islands

During the early 19th century when whalers began supplying sperm whale teeth and walrus tusks, Hawaiian artists began creating larger versions of the older, smaller variety of hook shaped pendants. Composed of a superbly carved sperm whale tooth pendant with a rich, honey-brown patina, pierced through and attached to finely woven, eight-ply hair strands, this lei niho palaoa was an instantly recognizable symbol of prestige and status, strictly limited to high-ranking chiefs in Hawaiian society.

Lot 116
Portrait of a Bangwa King, lefem, Grasslands, Cameroon

This Lefem portrait figure of the Western Bangwa group shares its name with the Lefem society, a status associated with close relatives of the chief, provided they could afford to pay a high initiation fee. Lefem figures were ritual insignia and represent specific individuals. They were wrapped in cloth or linen and stored until needed for Lefem association gatherings, or for public display at important gatherings to commemorate chiefs, worthy individuals and generations of ancestors.

The present figure, shown seated—like all lefem figures in this corpus—with arms extending down to the bent knees and holding a calabash in the right hand, has graceful and finely balanced proportions with a heavily encrusted patina overall.

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Lot 131
Fine Bembe Seated Figure, mukua, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Used for oracles and other magical practices, these small and highly polished ancestor figures were archetypical sculptures of the Bembe group, treasured by their owners as prestigious items. Depicting a seated male ancestor holding a flywhisk as a status symbol, this figurine is exceptionally carved by a highly skilled artist, ostensibly enhancing its magical efficacy for its owner, presumably a person of high rank and wealth within the culture.

Register now to bid in the African & Oceanic Art auction. For more information, contact fred.backlar@bonhams.com.