Baule-Atutu Bail Staff, Ivory Coast

Collected in situ by Hans Himmelheber in the early 1930s
Lore and Dr. Georg Kegel, Hamburg, acquired from the above in the late 1930s
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Very good condition for an object of this type and age. Small pin-sized hole below the proper right breast. Minor marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, and dents consistent with age and use. Fine light orange patina, the handle rubbed.
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.

The present sculpture was collected by the German ethnographer and art historian Hans Himmelheber, who related its specific function in his important 1935 publication Negerkünstler (see Himmelheber 1935: 47-48).  Among the Atutu people, a Baule group, on the occasion of judicial proceedings undertaken to settle a dispute between two parties, the defendant had to furnish a valuable object to the accuser as 'bail' or deposit.  If the trial was interrupted and not resumed and thus a conclusion never reached, the bail became the property of the accuser.  Thus the accuser could be assured that the defendant was motivated to return and stand trial. In previous times, Himmelheber notes, flywhisks complete with hair and handle were used for this function; however subsequently a staff in the general form of a flywhisk handle, like the present sculpture, was used.