- 133
Songye Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 USD
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Description
- domestic goat & african royal python, wood, metal
- Height: 27 1/4 in (69.3 cm)
with a pendant of Domestic Goat (Capra hircus) hide and a necklace wrapped in African Royal Python (Python regius) skin.
Provenance
Allan Stone, New York, acquired in the 1960s or early 1970s
Literature
Christie's New York, Selections from the Allan Stone Collection, November 12, 2007, p. 10
Kevin D. Dumouchelle, Power Incarnate: Allan Stone's Collection of Sculpture from the Congo, Greenwich, Connecticut, 2011, p. 11
Christie's Paris, Art Africain et Océanien, December 11, 2012, p. 94
Kevin D. Dumouchelle, Power Incarnate: Allan Stone's Collection of Sculpture from the Congo, Greenwich, Connecticut, 2011, p. 11
Christie's Paris, Art Africain et Océanien, December 11, 2012, p. 94
Condition
Weathered and eroded from exposure in situ prior to collection, with native repairs showing the great age of the figure. Large cavity in the head as seen in catalogue illustration from insect damage, with surrounding age cracks including vertical cracks to both sides of the head. Reptile skin with some losses. Torso of the figure is completely hollow with open cavities to front of neck, proper right upper arm; proper left side of the back with a cavity covered by a metal plate (native repair), attesting to continued use after insect damages occurred. Lower part of the figure is also hollow with erosion and loss to the front of the legs; the integrally-carved plinth is approximately three-quarters intact as a shell. Nails in the head from previous attachments. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, chips, and cracks. Metal with dents and creases. Exceptionally fine glossy medium brown patina to wood, the metal elements with aged, oxidized patina.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The offered lot has been immortalized in the mid-1970s photograph of Allan Stone featured on page 11 of Kevin Dumouchelle's Power Incarnate. It can be seen to the left of the large Kongo nkisi figure of the name Nvioje, previously in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Leipzig, which Allan Stone acquired in the 1970s.