Baga Altar Figure (Elek), Guinea

with a red inventory number "57.107".

Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York and the Museum of Primitive Art, New York (inv. no. "57.107")
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, African, Oceanic, American Indian, Pacific Northwest Coast, and Pre-Columbian Art: Duplicates from the Collection of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and the Museum of Primitive Art, May 4, 1967, lot 20
Private Collection, New York, acquired at the above auction

Museum of Primitive Art, New York, Sculpture from Three African Tribes: Senufo, Baga, Dogon, February 18 - May 10, 1959
Museum of Primitive Art, New York, Traditional Arts of Africa’s New Nations, May 17 - September 10, 1961
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, The Traditional Sculpture of Africa, October 12 - November 12, 1961

Very good condition for an object of this type and age. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, chips, cracks, and small losses consistent with age and use. Age crack to central crest of coiffure. Vertical age cracks to lower element. Old losses to nose. Carved in two pieces, as is typical of Elek altar figures; the head and neck fitting into the lower supporting element. Exceptionally fine aged dark brown patina with encrustation. Metal elements tarnished.
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.
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Paulme (in Vogel 1981: 58) describes the function of these altars based on her field work in 1954: "In each family house where the eldest member of the family resides, a dark corner is reserved for the elekel shrine, which is reinvigorated periodically with sacrificial blood. [...] The shrine includes a flywhisk made from a cow's tail [and other various materials], which plays a role in purification ceremonies and which is indispensable in hunting down sorcerers. A basket protects the whole assemblage. Next to, or on top of, the basket is the elek sculpture embodying the ensemble that bears its name. The tutelary role of the elek explains the presence of wholes in the head: horns filled with magic powers and unguents, usually kept in the basket, were attached there. [...] The elek was present at funerals of family heads, adult members of the group, neighbors, allies, and all other important persons. To say that the elek represented the lineage on these occasions is insufficient; it was at once the protector of the group and its most visible sign. It incarnated in some sense the life of the lineage."