DAN FIGURATIVE LADLE, IVORY COAST

William B. Seabrook, Brooklyn
Constance Seabrook, Brooklyn, by inheritence from the above
Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, acquired from the above on August 2, 1943 (stock book no. "1355")

Very good condition overall. Chip on top of ladle. Nicks and scratches. Wear and tear. Fiber ring broken and glued, with traces of glue remaining on back of ladle. Fine dark brown patina with encrustation.
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.

William Buehler Seabrook (1886-1945) was a noted American travel writer and journalist, best known for his monographs Jungle Ways (1930) and Asylum (1935). In Seabrrok's obituary, Winifred Van Duser (1945) noted: "Big lusty, restless, red-haired William Buehler Seabrook spent more than 20 years seeking fantastic adventure, then putting what he found into books which thrilled some, shocked many. [... His was] the strange career of one of the strangest personalities of the era, an enigma even to himself. The career moved to staccato rhythm up and down the world, into and out of civilization. Sometimes it blazed with color. Often it was darkened by the shadow of forbidden things. But it never was commonplace. Even his private life was packed with melodrama. Seabrook lived as a member of a Bedouin tribe. He joined the Druses in the Arabian mountains, moved on into a monastery at Tripoli. He crossed and explored the Sahara by airplane. He lived with Zezides devil worshipers in Kurdistan. He became a disciple of voodoo worshipers in the mountains of Haiti. He joined cannibals in their banquets in Africa. [...]"