- 94
Statue-reliquaire, Téké, République du Congo
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 EUR
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Téké
- Statue-reliquaire
- Wood, Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata),
- haut. 29 cm
- 17 1/2 in
Provenance
Collection Maurice Nicaud, Paris
Collection privée
Collection privée
Exhibited
Zürich, Kunsthaus, Die Kunst von Schwarz-Africa, 31 octobre - 17 janvier 1971
Elle a conservé, sous le pied droit, son ancienne étiquette de la collection Maurice Nicaud "M.N. 33, Paris"
Elle a conservé, sous le pied droit, son ancienne étiquette de la collection Maurice Nicaud "M.N. 33, Paris"
Literature
Leuzinger, Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, 1970, p. 273, n° S21
Condition
Please refer to the department, + 33 1 53 05 52 67, alexis.maggiar@sothebys.com
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Cette sculpture, dont la patine atteste la grande ancienneté, est l'une des expressions les plus saisissantes de l'art Téké. Magistralement rythmée par la distorsion des hanches et des jambes, et par le mouvement des épaules rejetées vers l'arrière, la dynamique contrariée des formes associée à la stabilité de la pose - assise - ordonne l'impérieuse présence de l'ancêtre.
La force de l'interprétation est accentuée par la charge magico-religieuse surmodelant l'abdomen, dont émerge la pointe cinglante d'un bec d'oiseau, et par les attributs (collier, coquillages et graines) conservés. Selon Hottot (1956, p. 30), "c'est l'ajout de la charge bonga qui transforme la sculpture inanimée Téké en un ancêtre". Rares sont donc, dans les collections, les statues buti ayant conservé leur précieuse charge, le plus souvent gardée par son détenteur qui "désacralisait" l'œuvre avant de la céder.
Les sculptures représentant un personnage assis sont relativement peu nombreuses dans le corpus de la statuaire Téké. Raoul Lehuard (1974, p. 123-126) les identifie souvent comme des "statuettes de nganga" (devin), abritant l'âme d'un ancêtre qui lui est favorable. Voir LaGamma (2007, p. 302), pour une statue d'ancêtre assis ayant également conservé sa charge rituelle. Ici, c'est dans la formulation de la pose que l'artiste, jouant librement des proportions, a créé une œuvre d'une absolue modernité. Il n'existe, à notre connaissance, aucune autre sculpture qui puisse être attribuée à la même main.
Teke reliquary figure, Republic of the Congo
Under its right foot, the label of the Maurice Nicaud Collection "M.N. 33, Paris" remains.
This sculpture, whose great age is evidenced by its patina, is one of the most striking expressions of Teke art. The majestic rhythm of the sculpture is impulsed by the distortion of the legs and hips and by the backward thrust of the shoulders. The constricted dynamics teamed with the stability of the - seated - pose contribute to the imperious appearance of the ancestor.
The forcefulness of the interpretation is reinforced by the magic-religious charge placed on the abdomen, wherefrom the sharp point of a bird's beak emerges, and by the attributes (necklace, shells and seeds) that have been preserved. According to Hottot (1956, p. 30), "it is the adjunction of a bonga charge that transforms the inanimate Teke sculpture into an ancestor." It is very rare to find buti statuettes having kept their ritualistic charge in collections, as their owner more often than not "desecrated" the work before selling it.
There are relatively few sculptures depicting a seated figure in the corpus of Teke statuary. Raoul Lehuard (1974, p. 123-126) often identifies them as "nganga (oracle) statuettes", home to the soul of an ancestor who is favourable to the oracle. See LaGamma (2007, p. 302), for the statue of a sitting ancestor having also retained its ritualistic charge. Here, the artist made use of the formulation of the pose, playing freely with proportions and creating a work of absolute modernity. There is, to our knowledge, no other sculpture that can be attributed to the same artist.
La force de l'interprétation est accentuée par la charge magico-religieuse surmodelant l'abdomen, dont émerge la pointe cinglante d'un bec d'oiseau, et par les attributs (collier, coquillages et graines) conservés. Selon Hottot (1956, p. 30), "c'est l'ajout de la charge bonga qui transforme la sculpture inanimée Téké en un ancêtre". Rares sont donc, dans les collections, les statues buti ayant conservé leur précieuse charge, le plus souvent gardée par son détenteur qui "désacralisait" l'œuvre avant de la céder.
Les sculptures représentant un personnage assis sont relativement peu nombreuses dans le corpus de la statuaire Téké. Raoul Lehuard (1974, p. 123-126) les identifie souvent comme des "statuettes de nganga" (devin), abritant l'âme d'un ancêtre qui lui est favorable. Voir LaGamma (2007, p. 302), pour une statue d'ancêtre assis ayant également conservé sa charge rituelle. Ici, c'est dans la formulation de la pose que l'artiste, jouant librement des proportions, a créé une œuvre d'une absolue modernité. Il n'existe, à notre connaissance, aucune autre sculpture qui puisse être attribuée à la même main.
Teke reliquary figure, Republic of the Congo
Under its right foot, the label of the Maurice Nicaud Collection "M.N. 33, Paris" remains.
This sculpture, whose great age is evidenced by its patina, is one of the most striking expressions of Teke art. The majestic rhythm of the sculpture is impulsed by the distortion of the legs and hips and by the backward thrust of the shoulders. The constricted dynamics teamed with the stability of the - seated - pose contribute to the imperious appearance of the ancestor.
The forcefulness of the interpretation is reinforced by the magic-religious charge placed on the abdomen, wherefrom the sharp point of a bird's beak emerges, and by the attributes (necklace, shells and seeds) that have been preserved. According to Hottot (1956, p. 30), "it is the adjunction of a bonga charge that transforms the inanimate Teke sculpture into an ancestor." It is very rare to find buti statuettes having kept their ritualistic charge in collections, as their owner more often than not "desecrated" the work before selling it.
There are relatively few sculptures depicting a seated figure in the corpus of Teke statuary. Raoul Lehuard (1974, p. 123-126) often identifies them as "nganga (oracle) statuettes", home to the soul of an ancestor who is favourable to the oracle. See LaGamma (2007, p. 302), for the statue of a sitting ancestor having also retained its ritualistic charge. Here, the artist made use of the formulation of the pose, playing freely with proportions and creating a work of absolute modernity. There is, to our knowledge, no other sculpture that can be attributed to the same artist.