Songye Male Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Nkisi

Acquired in situ by Margaret Plass, accompanied by William Fagg and Webster Plass, in 1949, reportedly in Lubumbashi (then Élisabethville)
Sotheby's, London, November 19, 1956, lot 116, consigned by Margaret Plass
Raymond Wielgus, Tucson, acquired at the above auction
Jay C. Leff, Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, African Art from the Collection of Jay C. Leff, April 22, 1967, lot 101
Ruth and Ernst Anspach, New York
Dr and Mrs. Jeffrey Hammer, Chicago
Lucille and Arnold Alderman, New Haven
Sotheby's, New York, May 17, 2002, lot 29, consigned by the above
Myron Kunin, Minneapolis, acquired at the above auction

The British Museum, King Edward VII Galleries, London, The Webster Plass Collection of African Art, 1953
University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, African Tribal Sculpture, April - September 1956
Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Exotic Art from Ancient and Primitive Civilizations: Collection of Jay C. Leff, October 15, 1959 - January 3, 1960
Art Gallery, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, Anspach Collection, March 17 - May 12, 1968
Ithaca College Museum of Art, Ithaca, New York, The Innovative African Sculptor, November 11 - December 21, 1969; additional venue:
The Picker Art Gallery, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, February 15 - March 15, 1970
Brainerd Hall Art Gallery, State University College, Potsdam, New York, African Sculpture: Rare and Familiar Forms from the Anspach Collection, 1973

William Buller Fagg, The Webster Plass Collection of African Art: the Catalogue of a Memorial Exhibition Held in the King Edward VII Galleries of the British Museum, London, 1953, cat. 154
Margaret Plass, African Tribal Sculpture, Philadelphia, 1956, cat. no. 37C
Walter A. Fairservis, Jr., Exotic Art from Ancient and Primitive Civilizations: Collection of Jay C. Leff, Pittsburgh, 1959, cat. 373
Roy Sieber, Anspach Collection, South Bend, 1968
George Nelson Preston, The Innovative African Sculptor, Ithaca, 1970, fig. 95
George Nelson Preston, African Sculpture: Rare and Familiar Forms from the Anspach Collection, Potsdam, 1973, p. 10, no. 6
Jean-Paul Barbier, "From 'Arts premiers' to 'Faraway Art'", Arts & Cultures, No. 4, 2003, p. 267, fig. 5

Very good condition overall for an object of this age and type, with wear consistent with use within the traditional context. Crack to the proper left side of the face, partially visible in the second catalogue image. A hairline crack to the proper left side of the neck. Thin crack to the proper right side of the face, as visible in the catalogue illustration, and some other cracks in places, including to the stomach and the base (as visible in the catalogue illustration. A knot with loss to the proper left side of the base, a small loss to the proper left foot, behind the little toe. Old chip/loss the the proper left hip/buttock. The deep red-brown wood with traces of stickiness in places throughout.
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.