Rago / Tribal African Pre-Columbian Oceanic Art 2009

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Post Auction Catalog(s) Title: Rago Tribal Art Auction held in: Lambertville, N.J. Sale Date: 3/1/09 No. of Lots: 434 No. of Pages: 146 Condition: Excellent Exceptional selection of property from Africa, the Americas and the Pacific. The over 400 lots encompass ritual dance masks and magic fetish figures, weapons and utilitarian objects, as well as a selection of rare artifacts from Pre-Columbian cultures. Native American property leads off the sale, highlighted by two rare textiles. The first is a Northwest Coast Tlingit Chilkat dancing blanket from the 19th C., with an estimate of $20,000-$30,000.00. The second is an early 19th century Athabaskan Shot pouch with accoutrements, including an incised powder horn. From a private collection, it s estimated at $5,000-8,000. Buyers will take particular note of the collection of Hopi Kachina Dolls, including several rare examples like the Citoto "flower Kachina," pictured in Gregory Shaaf's book "Hopi Katsina". Also of interest: a turn-of-the 20th century Acoma canteen-style vessel in black and white (another fine example of Pueblo Indian artistry), collected in the 1930s by an officer for the American Indian Council (presale estimate $1,500- 2,000) and a charming contemporary Northwest Coast potlatch bowl in the form of an otter with a prominently curved tail and inlaid abalone eyes (presale estimate $1,000-1,500). Perhaps the most sought after lots of the African section of the auction will be three masks from the noted mid- 20th C. New York dealer J.J Klegman, among them a classic Baule male. This early 20th C. example has an estimate of $3,000-4,000. Another fine lot from the Baule is a rare divination figure estimated at $5,000-8,000. This section of the sale is also notable for its collection of highly desirable Punu masks from Gabon, noted for their Asian appearance. Two outstanding examples being offered are a classic white Punu mask from a private New York collection, estimated at $3,000-5,000, and a very rare black Punu mask from a New England collection, valued at $6,000- $8,000. Sure to attract attention is a macabre and rare Tiv Imborivungu cult fetish staff from Nigeria, purportedly from the only documented cannibal cult in Africa. The provenance for this small scepter is a virtual "Who's Who in African Art" and includes Pierre Darteville, Dr. Noble Endicott, Erwin ershey and Dave De Roche. It carries a pre-sale estimate of $2,500-3,500. One of the most impressive objects in the sale has to be a Yoruba shrine altar from the Shango cult of Nigeria. This altar features several figural images carved in the round and a unique carved door and compartment. One of the best examples of its type that we have seen, it has a pre-sale estimate of $8,000-12,000. Also here: a turn-of-the-20th century Hemba Singitti male ancestor figure from the Congo. From a private collection, it carries an auction estimate of $8,000 -10,000. The Pre-Columbian section of the sale features a wide range of important ancient artifacts, including a Vera Cruz stone palma bearing the image of a ball player with harpy eagle headdress. (Scholars believe that palmas were the marker stones in Meso-American ball games.) It is estimated at $7,000-9,000. Another key lot is an Aztec stone metate with the image of a lord and supplicant figure, estimated at $3,000-5,000. Also to be had is a Colima metate from Mexico with a presale estimate of $7,000-10,000 and ceramics from the Colima culture, including a monumental Shaman vessel estimated at $8,000-12,000 and several redware pottery dogs. Another of the treasures here is a solid gold beaker or "kero" from the Chimu of Peru. Dating to AD 1200 - 1470, it carries an estimate of $5,000-8,000. Also sure to attract attention is an Incan frog vessel in terra cotta with hallucinogenic, spiraling eyes, AD 1450-1550, for $1,500-2,000 and a rare Chancay wood figure from Peru, AD, estimated at $3,000-4,000. Our Oceanic section includes objects from the Melanesian a... read more

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