Africa

African art

Whether African masks, African sculptures, or finely crafted utilitarian objects such as spoons, shields, or jewellery, the traditional art of Africa is distinguished by its striking formal diversity and and expressive depth.

For generations, it has served as a vital source of inspiration for Western artists, significantly influencing the development of Modern art.

A central concern of our work is to acknowledge the often-anonymous creators of these works and, where possible, to attribute the objects to specific artists or workshops.

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Côte d'Ivoire, Baule: Enthroned male figure from the "Treasure of the Saléfoué", before 1910
Provenance
Trésor des Saléfoué, Côte d’Ivoire (prior to 1910) Joseph Cornet, French Administrative Official Louis Pieter Cornelis (Lode) van Rijn, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Galerie Kephri), 1970’s Walter Kaiser, Stuttgart, Germany Manfred Pütz, Cologne, Germany (1974)
sold EUR 38,000
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Gabon, Kota, Obamba group: Reliquary figure "mbulu-ngulu" ("spirit of a deceased")
Provenance
Everett Burton Helm, Minneapolis/Berlin, USA/ Germany Helm (1913-1999) was an American composer, musicologist and music critic. He studied at Harvard, and then after having been awarded a travel fellowship, with Gian Francesco Malipiero in Asolo, Italy and Ralph Vaughan Williams in England. In 1948, he was appointed Music Officer for the occupying US army in Germany. From 1950 and into the 1960s, Helm worked as a music critic in Germany. In parallel, he was composing. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra commissioned and premiered his First Piano Concerto in 1951, the same year as his first opera, Adam and Eve, was performed at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.
sold EUR 30,000
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D. R. Congo, Vili: Maternité "phemba" ("pfemba")
Provenance
Ludwig Bretschneider, Munich, Germany Klaus Hummel, Korb, Germany (1967-80) Hummel (1939-2006) was an antiques dealer. Collecting African Art was his private hobby. Between 1967 and 1980, he bought and bartered a multitude of ancient African masks and figurines predominantly during his trips to Mr. Bretschneider in Munich and to Mr. Krieg in Neuenkirchen.
sold EUR 40,000
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D. R. Congo, Luba: Royal caryatid stool "lupona", before 1909
Provenance
Oberleutnant Albert Linke (Lincke), collected in situ, before 1909 By descent in the family, seller 2008 Anton Mentrup, Mainz-Kastel, Germany
sold EUR 15,000
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Cameroon Grassfields, Bangwa, Fontem Valley: Rare, old Commemorative Figure of a King "fon", late 19th century
Provenance
German Colonial Collection, collected in situ before 1914. Heinrich Vorwahl, Hamburg / Quakenbrück, Germany (born in 1898, year of death unknown, teacher and editor in religious studies, philosophy and philology as well as in history of medicine (focused on folk medicine) Vorwahl Family Collection, Germany
sold EUR 60,000
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D. R. Congo, Songe/Luba, Kabalo area: Rare shield, before 1900
Provenance
Portuguese Collection (collected in situ, before 1900) German Private Collection
sold EUR 42,000