Lot 160
  • 160

A Fine Holo Adze, Angola

Estimate
7,000 - 10,000 USD
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Description

the cylindrical shaft with two seated figures leading to a knob with two heads and a metal blade of conical shape, with strips of tin attached to one head; fine medium brown patina with residue.

Provenance

Peter Loebarth, Hameln
Fred Jahn, Munich

Exhibited

Iowa City, The University of Iowa Museum of Art, Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, March 27 - May 23, 1999 (for additional venues see bibliography, Roy 1997)

Literature

François Neyt, The Art of the Holo, Munich, 1982, pp.12 and 50, fig. 6
Christopher D. Roy, Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, Seattle, 1997, pp. 222-223 and 376, fig. 135
--, Kilengi. Afrikanische Kunst aus der Sammlung Bareiss, Hanover, 1997, pp. 226-227 and 381, fig. 135 

Condition

very good condition overall; crack through bar resting on shoulders of figures and right leg of posterior figure (it is inconclusive if it is a crack or a break, i.e. if the figures might have been broken off and were reattached); brass sleeve inserted in shaft for mount; blade loose; fine medium brown patina with residue.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

According to Neyt (1982: 37), this adze once belonged to the personal treasury "of the Chief of Kiambamba from the Musuku Region in Angola (Malange Province). The axe kasawu was kept in the house of the chieftain and used only on special occasions such as circumcision ceremonies, funerals, jurisdiction pertaining to the village and for acts of magic."

Roy (1997: 376, text to fig. 135) continues: "Throughout Africa adzes and axes served as symbols of authority of the rulers. They were usually carried over the left shoulder by kings and chiefs during their investiture with power, and they served to mark the ruler as a person apart, possessing both secular and sacred power. The materials from which the tools were made[,] namely iron or more rarely copper, reflected the traditional skill of the leader as a blacksmith, able magically to transform ore into useful - in fact essential - iron. The fact that the Holo were especially skilled as hunters and smiths makes this [adze] doubly significant and powerful. Such [adzes], called kasawu, were stored in the ruler's house to be used only when he was performing official acts."