Description:

Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, ca. last quarter 19th to 1st quarter 20th century. Incredibly rare and fine carved wooden Nkonde "Vili" power figure. Carved from single piece of wood, with inset original glass eyes (incredibly rare to find) with added black pigmentation to face, the body developing nice darkened patina. Once holding magical fetish materials at his chest, now missing but still so rare to find especially given that this was shown in an Austrian photograph dating to 1914. That depth of provenance is so rarely seen, especially in African art. Size: 5" W x 11" H (12.7 cm x 27.9 cm)

These Vili figures often hammer at Christie's and Sotheby's in the 6 figure range and it is virtually impossible to find such a figure below $20,000 - and that is without photographic provenance to the 1st quarter of the 20th century!

Provenance: private Pasadena, California, USA collection with photo showing piece dating to 1914 in Austria

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#157436

  • Condition: Missing chest ornament, repair across feet (with old tape on the base) and on section of headdress, crack down left proper side of face.

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April 1, 2021 10:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000