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THBLate 19th C. Teke Tsaye Carved / Painted Wood Mask
Lot 64a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,000 - $2,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Oct 3, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-10-03 10:00:00
2019-10-03 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Day 2: Pre-Columbian & Tribal Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-day-2-pre-columbian-tribal-art-4453
Day 2 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional, museum-worthy examples of Pre-Columbian from the ancient Americas, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial and fossils. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Day 2 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional, museum-worthy examples of Pre-Columbian from the ancient Americas, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial and fossils. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (300)
- Lot Description
Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Teke-Tsaye peoples, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A sizeable ovoid wooden mask, hand-carved and hand-painted by the Teke-Tsaye peoples of eastern Republic of the Congo. The surface is incised and painted in rich orange and white (kaolin) hues that complement the natural wood. The visage has a pronounced ridge across the midline where it presents a high relief nose flanked by slit openings within its large almond-shaped eyes. Below is a stylized mouth - circular with an incised "X" over it and vertical striations below. Stylized decorative motifs further adorn the forehead, cheeks, and periphery. According to Marie-Claire Dupre, these complex patterns are all esoteric designs and decoding them could help uncover "important information on the history of the Teke tsaye" (Dupre, "Masque de danse ou cartes geopolitiques [...]", Cahiers des sciences humaines, No. 26, 1990, pp. 447-471). Size: 13.25" W x 14.875" H (33.7 cm x 37.8 cm); 20.75" H (52.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Scholars believe that the iconography on this mask and others made by the Teke-Tsaye peoples was inspired by dreams as well as the use of hallucinogenic roots. The motifs are arranged symmetrically resulting in a pleasing aesthetic, and they are associated with secret knowledge that "commemorates the sky, the stars, the migration of the tsaayi, and the relationship between the stars, nature spirits, and veiled presence of ancestors" (Neyt, Fleuve Congo, Paris, 2010, p. 69).
A similar example was listed at Sotheby's New York, Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, sale N10064, May 2019, lot 167 with estimates of $8,000 to $10,000.
Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex New York, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#149190Expected age cracks and perforations. Normal surface wear with slight pigment loss, but much remains as shown. Label on the verso reads "BAKWELE (1976)," but this may have been intended for a different mask as this one is Teke-Tsaye.Condition
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