Description:

**First Time At Auction**

West Africa, Nigeria and Benin, Court of Benin, Fon/Dahomey people, ca. mid-20th century CE. A cast-brass male elder figure standing upon lengthy feet and wearing a shin-length skirt decorated with impressed trapezoidal motifs. The man leans slightly forward and dons a wide pelt with applied circular spots and holds a cane with a curved handle. His face bears almond eyes, bared teeth, and incised scarification grooves, and topping his head is a peaked helmet with upturned lateral brims of a distinctly Spanish or Portuguese style. This aged figure perhaps represents a tribal official or an individual of high standing and was likely part of a larger group scene with a chief and itinerary. Size: 4.4" W x 9.3" H (11.2 cm x 23.6 cm); 10.9" H (27.7 cm) on included custom stand.

For a stylistically similar example of a figure holding a rifle, please see The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, object number 2005-6-210.

Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection; ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA (auction #96, December 3, 2019, part of lot 359); ex-Paul Stolper Gallery, London, UK; ex-The William W. Brill collection, New York, New York, USA, thence to family via inheritance

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#153911

  • Condition: Minor abrasions to body and head, with light encrustations, otherwise intact and very good. Nice patina throughout. Feet are pinned to wooden stand.

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March 26, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
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