Lot 10
  • 10

Bamana Antelope Headdress (n'gonzon koun), Mali

Estimate
60,000 - 90,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • wood, glass beads, cloth
  • Height: 18 3/4 in (47.6 cm)

Provenance

George Stoecklin, France
Raymond E. Britt, Chicago, acquired from the above in May 1979
By descent through the family
Sotheby's, New York, November 11, 2005, lot 34, consigned by the above
Myron Kunin, Minneapolis, acquired at the above auction

Condition

Restorations, including 1 1/2 inch section of tip of top proper right horn and 6 1/2 inch section of lower proper right horn. Ears probably restored. Proper left lower horn is broken and glued in two places, with a metal bracket (native repair). A seam through the feet of the figure through bases of top two upturned horns; possibly carved separately and attached. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, dents, and flaking patina consistent with age and use. Fine blackened glossy patina with remains of ritually-applied oil and encrustation. Metal tarnished. Fixed to modern base with a screw embedded in the underside.
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

According to LaGamma (2002: 109), "Headdresses in this style have [..] been designated by Zahan as 'horizontal' ci wara, the third of his three categories of Bamana headdresses.  He attributes this corpus to the Bélédougou region, which is north of the Niger River, but Imperato situates the style slightly farther south in the adjacent Djitoumou region. Imperato notes that some villages there sponsored performances of abstract vertical sogoni koun headdresses but also possessed horizontal ci wara, which they referred to as n'gonzon koun.  During the 1990s, this attribution was corroborated by Stephen Wooten, who documented performances of comparable works in a village approximately forty kilometers from Bamako.  Wooten emphasizes the ongoing vitality of dances in which works such as these are still performed to celebrate and even promote the success of a community's agricultural endeavors."

She continues (ibid: 110): "Headdresses of this kind are distinctive for their formal qualities as well as for their idiosyncratic construction.  All other related Bamana sculptural genres are monoxylic (carved from a single piece of wood), but these works are invariably carved as two separate units - the head and the body - which are subsequently joined together with iron staples, U-shaped nails, or metal or leather collars attached with nails [as seen in the present headdress].  Zahan proposes that because this bipartite approach was not the result of technical necessity, it reflects an underlying symbolic intention, perhaps related to the idea of unifying two separate elements into a coherent and balanced design."

The Kunin n'gonzon koun is one of a small number of examples which feature a standing human figure atop the head or horns of the antelope.  The chi wara masquerades in which such headdresses were used often emphasized male-female duality; the present example is notable in that while the figure is female, the antelope is male.