A Nyamwezi Male Figure, Utongwe Region, Tanzania

standing on a circular stool, the male figure with parted legs, prominent genitals and elongated torso, surmounted by an oval head wearing a backswept coiffure with herringbone motif; fine, aged varied dark brown patina with residue.

Edi Remondino, Bujumbura
Peter Loebarth, Hameln
Fred Jahn, Munich

Berlin, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Tanzania: Meisterwerke Afrikanischer Skulptur, April 29 - August 7, 1994
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)

Jens Jahn (ed.), Tanzania: Meisterwerke Afrikanischer Skulptur. Munich, 1994, p. 47, fig. II/15 and p. 360, figs. VII/9a and b
Tom Phillips (ed.), Africa, the Art of a Continent, Munich, 1995, p. 165, fig. 2.53
Christopher D. Roy, Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, Seattle, 1997, pp. 72 and 325, fig. 15
76 and 329, fig. 15
Jean-Baptiste Bacquart, The Tribal Arts of Africa, New York, 1998, p. 224, fig. 3
Christopher D. Roy, "African Art from the Bareiss Collection", African Arts, Summer 1999, vol. XXXII, no. 2, p. 56, fig. 6

fair condition overall; the bottom of base eroded, insect damage through top of base and right foot, both arms missing, right breast chipped, abrasions on nose, mouth and ears; fine, aged varied dark 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.
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Roy (1997: 325, text to fig. 16) notes: "Nancy Nooter discusses both attribution and meaning. This male figure from Utongwe eloquently expresses the qualities of dignity and leadership... The facial features and elaborated coiffure... show strong Tabwa influence, as does the convention of the human figure standing on a stool, which... is a sign of rank and status. [This figure] must be considered among the most important and significant objects from East Africa from a direct typological link between the high-backed thrones of the Nyamwezi and other peoples of Tanzania and the caryatid stools of eastern Congo (Zaire), and confirms Marc Felix's speculation about the spread of the type across this broad region of eastern and east-central Africa."