Masque, Téké, République du Congo

Collection Horst Antes, Berlin
Collection Léopold Häfliger, Lucerne
Lucerne, Afrikanische Maskensammlung aus dem Nachlass von Leopold Häfliger, 16 décembre 1989, n° 20
Collection Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich, acquis lors de cette vente
Sotheby's, New York, 25 mai 1999, n° 61
Philippe Ratton et Daniel Hourdé, Paris, acquis lors de cette vente
Collection Viviane Jutheau, Comtesse de Witt, acquis en 1999

Munich, Villa Stuck, Götter Geister Ahnen. Afrikanische Skulpturen in deutschen Privatsammlungen / Gods, Spirits, Ancestors: African Sculpture from Private German Collections, 28 octobre 1992 – 18 janvier 1993; Vienne, Museum für Völkerkunde, 23 mars – 24 juillet 1994

Schädler, African Art in Private German Collections, 1973, p. 330, n° 474
Schädler, ötter Geister Ahnen. Afrikanische Skulpturen in deutschen Privatsammlungen / Gods, Spirits, Ancestors: African Sculpture from Private German Collections, 1992, p. 196, n° 159
Schädler, Lexikon Afrikanische Kunst und Kultur, 1994, p. 224
Schädler, Afrikanische Kunst. Von der Frühzeit bis heute, 1997, p. 259, n° 169

Good condition overall. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture. Carving and polychromy well preserved. Some small gaps of material on the upper part, between both eyes and the forehead, as visible on the catalogue illustration.To the reverse of the mask, old loss to the proper right side of the projecting edge.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Les deux fines fentes libérant un espace de vision, le front en surplomb et les orifices qui ponctuent le pourtour du masque - destinés à recevoir un décor de plumes et de fibres végétales - caractérisent la première génération stylistique des masques Téké, dont l'origine remonterait à la deuxième moitié du XIX^e siècle. Créations des Téké-Tsaaye (centre-est de la République du Congo), ces masques se distinguent par la modernité de leur forme discoïdale et du décor polychrome abstrait envahissant la surface. Selon Marie-Claire Dupré (« Masque de danse ou cartes géopolitiques ? L’invention de Kidumu chez les Téké Tsayi au XIX^e siècle » in Cahiers des Sciences Humaines, n° 26, 1990, p. 447-471), ces motifs complexes constituent autant de dessins ésotériques dont la lecture permettrait d’obtenir « toutes les informations nécessaires sur l’histoire des Téké tsayi ». Agencés symétriquement, ces signes - nés du rêve et de l'usage de racines hallucinogènes - associés à une connaissance secrète "font mémoire du ciel, de la terre […], des migrations tsaayi […], des liens entre les astres, les esprits de la nature et la présence voilée des ancêtres » (Neyt, Fleuve Congo, 2010, p. 69).

Teke mask, Republic of the Congo 

Characteristic of the earliest stylistic generation of Teke masks, which are said to date back to the second half of the 19th century, this mask is defined by an overhanging forehead, two thin slits that provide a field of vision for the wearer, and holes designed to receive a decor of feathers and plant fibres that dot the masks' circumference. These masks are creations of the Teke-Tsaaye (central eastern region of the Republic of Congo), and depict a modernity in their discoid shape and the abstract polychromatic design covering their surface. According to Marie-Claire Dupré ("Masque de danse ou cartes géopolitiques ? L’invention de Kidumu chez les Téké Tsayi au XIX^e siècle" in Cahiers des Sciences Humaines, No. 26, 1990, p. 447-471), these complex patterns are all esoteric designs and decoding them could help uncover "important information on the history of the Teke tsayi". The signs on the masks, born from dreams and from the use of hallucinogenic roots, are arranged symmetrically and are associated with secret knowledge that "commemorates the sky, the stars, the migration of the tsaayi, and the relationship between the stars, nature spirits, and veiled presence of ancestors" (Neyt, Fleuve Congo, 2010, p. 69).