Under the Hammer

In traditional societies throughout Africa and Oceania there was no written form of communication. As such, works of art served to transmit knowledge and were often used in ceremonial contexts to express power and prestige, and to appease ancestors in order to survive in an imperfect world. People of high status could afford the best artists of their time to create exceptional works of art which stood out among others, and would seemingly be more effective in serving the function for which the work of art was intended.

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 2022.

Lot 15
Superb Maori Anthropomorphic Pendant, hei tiki, New Zealand

This Superb Maori Anthropomorphic Pendant, hei tiki, from New Zealand, served as a memento of many deceased ancestors and was believed to contain the mana, or the supernatural powers and spiritual life force, of the great ones of the past.  High-ranking Maori men and women would wear the hei tiki around their necks as an emblem of power and stature. This beautifully carved hei tiki, with its grand scale and thickness, rich color, and muscularly defined body, was clearly commissioned by a person with significant power and prestige within the Maori culture.

Lot 7
Magnificent Elema Mask, Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea

Moving eastward across the Pacific Ocean all the way to Papua New Guinea, a Magnificent Elema Mask from the Gulf Province, is a dynamic, enigmatic, multi-media composition called an eharo, a totemic dance mask donned by neighbors from other villages, ready to dance in celebratory festivals. Constructed in grand scale, the artist of this mask has masterfully created a work of profound vitality and expressiveness of the spirit it was intended to personify.

Lot 98
Important Hemba Male Figure, Mambwe Region, Democratic Republic of the Congo

The artist who sculpted this Hemba Male Figure from the Democratic Republic of the Congo must have been a regional master among his community. Despite the ancient loss of the right arm and leg, this princely male ancestral figure maintains his original majestic stature, intensity and elegance. The wood, hardened over many years, with its rich brown sacrificial residue is juxtaposed with the sensitivity of the overall features and particularly with the tranquility of his gaze. Although departed from the physical world, the artist has skillfully created an emblematic and efficacious work of art that embodies this ancestor to benefit his descendants into perpetuity. 

Lot 106
Fang Reliquary Guardian Figure, Okak Group, Rio Muni Region, Equatorial Guinea

Symbolizing the clan and its perpetuity, this Fang Reliquary Guarding Figure from the Okak Group in Equatorial Guinea served not only as a symbolic recollection of an ancestor, but as a guardian of the ancestral bones housed in a receptacle as well. In this resplendent sculpture, the artist has created a dynamic, balanced and graceful composition of rounded geometry representative of the Okak style. The serenely tranquil gaze of the figure appears to look beyond, into another world not yet actualized by the living.

Lot 110
Exceptional Yoruba Kneeling Cup Bearer, Nigeria

This Exceptional Yoruba Kneeling Cup Bearer, Olumeye, from Nigeria is an exquisitely carved work of art which has wear indicative of significant use within the Yoruba society. The sensitivity and skill of the master carver is evidenced by the refined sculpture with clear definition throughout, each hand merging into each side of the bowl as if becoming one with the ritual container. Looking to the right with her head slightly upwards creates a majestic and elegant composition. Believed to be a messenger of the spirits and representation of honor, this olumeye undoubtedly served an important ceremonial function.

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