Page 128

T82E

OBJECT history 126 FIG. 7 (upper right): Hélène Kamer (now Leloup) acquiring Baga sculptures in Guinea in 1957. Courtesy of Christie’s and Hélène Leloup. FIGS. 8a–c (below right): Postage stamps issued by the Republic of Guinea showing snakes that form the composite of the serpent headdress: forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca), Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica), and royal python (Python regius). Author’s images. FIG. 9 (far right): Archival photograph of the CMA serpent headdress showing the eroded base. The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Norweb Collection, inv. 1960.37. FIG. 6: Serpent-shaped headdress. Baga, Guinea. Possibly late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, pigment. H: 166.4 cm. Acquired by Hélène and Henri Kamer in Guinea in 1957. Ex Galerie Kamer, New York; Pierre Matisse, New York, November 20, 1961; Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, October 1962; private collection, March 8, 1967; Sotheby’s, New York, 2008. Promised gift of Bobby Kotick in honor of the fi ftieth anniversary of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Image © Sotheby’s. including the Baga. On the basis of this information, one might argue that the CMA serpent, like the example in the Louvre, should be reattributed to the Nalu and that the Nalu name mbanchong should denote it rather than any Baga variant. However, given that there is confl icting information about the CMA headdress’ place of origin and the fact that it appears to be impossible to distinguish between Nalu and Baga serpent sculptures on a stylistic basis, it seems appropriate to leave the question of cultural attribution open. Writing about another famous serpent sculpture, the one in the Menil Collection in Houston (which also was part of the group acquired by the Kamers in 1957),10 Curtis further explains that the python symbolizes the fecundity of the land and the fertility of humans, while the cobra is a symbol of respect, and the Gaboon viper is reputed to fi ght evil. Indeed, close analysis of the form and surface decoration of the headdress confi rms her assertion that rather than representing a python, as has sometimes been stated, it actually combines features of three different snakes: the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca), the Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica), and either the royal python (Python regius) or the rock python (Python sebae). All are native to the region and were recently depicted on a series of postage stamps issued by the government of Guinea (fi gs. 8a–c). A striking feature that to my knowledge has not been fully explained in the existing literature is the erosion of the bases of many of these headdresses. Like a few other examples, the CMA serpent has an unfi nished and heavily deteriorated peg-like extension under the serpent’s body (fi g. 9), an element that in the current display is hidden in the case’s pedestal. This peg was used to slot the


T82E
To see the actual publication please follow the link above