Collection privée, Ouest de la France
Philippe et Laurent Dodier, Avranches
Philipp Konzet, Vienne
Collection privée européenne, acquis en 1997

Arts d'Afrique noire, n° 103, Automne 1997, p. 38

Please contact the department for condition report +33 (0)1 53 05 52 67 ; alexis.maggiar@laitexier.com
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Cette figure de reliquaire relève d'une rare variante du style Kota Shamaye. Elle se distingue par l'élégance de la forme foliacée du visage et par la puissance du front proéminent, en quart de sphère, s'achevant dans la formulation du nez. A l'épure de la forme, ordonnée par la rigueur de la lame médiane, répond la densité du décor en fines lamelles, dont le dessin accompagne la dynamique des volumes. 

Son très étroit corpus se compose de six œuvres aujourd'hui référencées : une conservée dans les collections du musée Dapper (Falgayrettes-Leveau, La voie des Ancêtres, 1986, p. 73), celle de l'Art Institute de Chicago (Wardwell in African Arts, vol. IV, n° 1, 1970, p. 19), l'une vendue par Christie's (Paris, 11 juin 2012, n° 11) et trois autres - dont celle-ci - dans des collections privées. Au sein de cet e🐻nsemble, notre œuvre s'impose notamment par la remarquable ampleur du visage. 

Cette effigie destinée au culte des ancêtres était appelée, en pays Shamaye, "boho-na-bwete", la figure du bwete, autrement dit l'ancêtre lignager.

Kota Shamaye reliquary figure, Gabon

This reliquary figure is a rare variant of the Kota Shamaye style. It stands out for the elegance of the leaf-like shape of its face, and for the forcefulness of the prominent quarter-sphere forehead, which tapers down into the nose. The formal starkness, ordered around the straight line of the median plate, contrasts with the density of the fine strips of brass, the outlines of which complement the volume's overall dynamics.

This very narrow corpus comprises six known reliquary figures: one in the musée Dapper (Falgayrettes-Leveau, la Voie des Ancêtres, 1986, p. 73), one in the Art Institute of Chicago, (Wardwell in African Arts, vol. IV, No. 1, 1970, p. 19), one sold by Christie's (Paris, 11 June 2012, lot 11), and three others - including this one - held in private collections. Within the corpus the offered lot stands out for the remarkable scale of the face.

This effigy, meant for ancestor worship in Shamaye countries, was called "boho-na-bwete", the figure of bwete, meaning the lineal ancestor.