Baga Janus Headcrest, Guinea

Collected in the Baga Koba village of Katema, by November 1950
Josef Herman, London
Christie's, Amsterdam, The Josef Herman Collection of African Art, December 12, 2000, lot 17
Jan Krugier, Monaco, acquired at the above auction

Albertina Museum, Vienna, Goya to Picasso: Masterpieces from the Collection of Jan Krugier and Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, April 8 - August 28, 2005

William Rubin (ed.), "Primivitism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, New York, 1984, Vol. II, p. 472 (incorrectly described as Ibo, Nigeria)
Frederick Lamp, Art of the Baga: a Drama of Cultural Reinvention, New York, 1996, p. 46, fig. 29
Galerie Jan Krugier, Geneva (adv.), Arts and Cultures, 2004, p. 24
Klaus Albrecht Schröder and Christine Ekelhart, Goya bis Picasso: Meisterwerke der Sammlung Jan Krugier und Marie-Anne Krugier-Poniatowski, Vienna, 2005, p. 310, ill. 2

Weathered with age cracks, including an open age crack to the front (top) as shown in catalogue illustration. Reverse is worn and weathered with losses along the rim and an area of crumbling old plaster fill on rim, with nails. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, chips and small losses consistent with age and use. Fine aged glossy blackened patina with crusty white pigment.
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.

Representing kanke, the guinea fowl, this Baga headcrest featured prominently in William Rubin's seminal "Primivitism" in 20th Century Art: Affinities of the Tribal and the Modern.  The stacked, faceted geometric forms that captured Rubin's attention in 1984 no doubt also appealed to Jan Krugier's fascination with the affinities between traditional African sculpture and the creations of the modernist avant-garde; an early cubist drawing by Picasso from Krugier's collection, Étude de Visage of 1909, offers a striking comparison.