NEW YORK – On Wednesday, March 20, commencing at 8 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will conduct its next Decorative Tribal Art Sale, featuring more than 150 lots. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.
Two of the three highlights of the March 20 auction are late 20th-century bronzes, but all three originate in Africa. The bronze statue from Chad is a relatively standard form depicting multiple figures, probably warriors, riding the same horse. Described as ‘large’ because it measures almost 15in tall, it is estimated at $1,500-$2,000.
The other late 20th-century bronze is a pair credited to the Bamun people, who reside in what is now Cameroon. They are identified as statues of court jesters, and appear to be a male and a female who have headdresses, wide necklaces, skirts, and ankle bracelets. They are together estimated at $3,000-$3,500.
The standout among standouts, however, is an undated Landai mask, made by the Toma people in the Macenta region of Africa, which spans what is now Guinea and Liberia. The tribal community is also called the Loma, and the mask can also be called a Dandai or Angbai mask.
The lot notes state, ‘This mask must have been an awesome sight for the young initiates when it emerged from the forest brandishing a weapon. The mask symbolically devours the young boys at the beginning of their training in the Poro initiation school, and leaves the marks of his teeth on their bodies (in the form of scarification…)’. Part of a Dutch collection since the 1980s, when it was acquired from a gallery in Paris, the mask is estimated at $700-$800.
