Lot 12
  • 12

Mossi Mask, Burkina Faso

Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • wood
  • Height: 51 3/4 in (131.4 cm)
an Art Institute of Chicago label on the reverse inscribed: "CHGO. COLL. *1963 / 335.63 / RofO 18932 (Baker)"

Provenance

Herbert Baker, Chicago, by 1963
James Willis, San Francisco, acquired from the above
Myron Kunin, Minneapolis, acquired from the above on May 29, 1991

Exhibited

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Chicago Collectors: an Exhibition Sponsored by the Men's Council of the Art Institute, September 20 - October 27, 1963
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, African Studies Conference, 1966
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Ethnic Art from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Baker: Africa, Mediterranean, Oceania, December 17, 1966 - January 29, 1967
Museum of Primitive Art, New York, The Herbert Baker Collection, November 19, 1969 - February 8, 1970
John Hancock Center, Chicago, African Art and the Impressionists-Expressionists, 1971
Palm Springs Desert Museum, Desert Art Collections, March 21 - June 2, 1985
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, extended loan, October 1, 1991 - October 1, 1992

Literature

John Maxon and Allen Wardwell, Chicago Collectors: an Exhibition Sponsored by the Men's Council of the Art Institute, Chicago, 1963, p. 33, pl. 22
Ralph T. Coe, Ethnic Art from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Baker: Africa, Mediterranean, Oceania, Kansas City, 1966, p. 17, no. 42
Douglas Newton, The Herbert Baker Collection, New York, 1969, p. 16, no. 138
Allen Wardwell, "The Herbert Baker Collection", African Arts, Vol. III, No. 3, p. 33, fig. 6
Katherine Plake Hough and Janice Lyle, Desert Art Collections, Palm Springs, 1985, p. 42
Christopher Roy, Art of the Upper Volta Rivers, Paris, 1987, p. 121, fig. 88

Condition

Good condition for an object of this type and age. Surface is weathered and worn with erosion from exposure and insect damage. A channel through the center of the segment between the top of the face mask and the figure's feet is eroded with age cracks, as visible in catalogue illustatration. Stable age cracks throughout. Fronts of both feet broken and glued. Old losses, including to braid on proper right side of figure's face, proper left ear, proper right heel, and lower left reverse edge of face mask, patinated over. Exceptionally fine varied aged surface with remains of red, black, and white pigment. An Art Institute of Chicago label on the reverse inscribed: "CHGO. COLL. *1963 / 335.63 / RofO 18932 (Baker)". Mask is fixed to a modern base with four modern screws drilled into reverse.
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.