Page 139

ïTribalPaginaIntera_layout

Scontornare ed eliminare base e portare in primo piano 137 FIGS. 1 and 2 (left): Deble pair. Senufo, Mali. Found at a New England country auction. It’s significant to note, especially when it comes to African art, that provenance is often considered more important than the object itself. Native American art dealers frequently buy rare and valuable artifacts that have no recorded history, yet African art dealers have told me time and time again that it is all but impossible to do this. But after more than forty years of buying art in unlikely places, I’ve developed a certain level of confidence and instinct in my field. I’ve found that sometimes objects already in my collection or ones that I’ve examined in museums or other collections can help inform me when I’m confronted with a prospective purchase that’s rare or unusual. For example, I have a Bamana “queen” figure purchased from Paul Rabut (for a photo, see Tribal Art #33, winter 2003). He told me that it was one of nineteen found in a cave in central Mali by Henri Kamer and brought back to New York in the 1950s. These became known as “Bamana Queens,” even though some of them were males. Paul acquired his figure from Kamer before others from the same group were sold to the Met and the Menil. I mention this in regard to the Senufo deble pair that were found without provenance because the erosion patterns on their arms and bases are very similar to those on my Bamana figure. The Bamanas also happen to have been found within about 100 miles of the Sikasso Region of Mali where the debles most likely originated, so it makes sense that the regional effects of weather might well be similar. FIG. 3 (above): Diviner’s pouch. Yoruba, Nigeria. Ex Willy Okwerekwu, Boston. A beaded cover is attached to what appears to be a British cartridge pouch made of canvas and stamped “Cullen.” FIG. 4 (right): Royal fan. Yoruba, Nigeria. Ex Willy Okwerekwu, Boston. FIG. 5 (below): Charles Derby at his home in Massachusetts, where he is surrounded by tribal treasures.


ïTribalPaginaIntera_layout
To see the actual publication please follow the link above