Lot 84
  • 84

MASQUE, DAN, CÔTE D'IVOIRE |

Estimate
120,000 - 180,000 EUR
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Description

  • haut. 25 cm ; 9 7/8 in

Provenance

Collection Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), London
Charles Ratton (1895-1986), Paris
Collection Vittorio Mangió, Monza
Collection Carlo Monzino (1931-1996), Castagnola
Transmis par descendance
Collection privée, Italie

Exhibited

New York, The Museum of Modern Art, African Negro Art, 18 mars - 19 mai 1935  / Manchester, Currier Museum of Art, 10 juin  - 8 juillet 1935 / San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Art, 23 juillet - 2 septembre 1935 / Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, 28 septembre - 27 octobre 1935
New York, The Center for African Art, African Aesthetics: The Carlo Monzino Collection, 7 mai - 7 septembre 1986 (Visible sur la photo de installation de l'exposition African Negro Art par Soichi Sunami en 1935)

Literature

Sweeney, African Negro Art, 1935, n° 113 (listé)
Evans, Portfolio African Negro Art, 1935, n° 113
Arts d'Afrique Noire, 1976, n° 19, couverture
Vogel, African Aesthetics : The Carlo Monzino Collection, 1986, p. 41, n° 35
Bassani, La grande scultura dell’Africa Nera, 1989, p. 120 et 239, n° 45
Bassani, Le grand héritage, 1999, p. 149
Cossa and Paudrat, Passion d'Afrique. L'art africain dans les collections italiennes, 2009, p. 53, n° 6

Condition

Very good condition overall. There are small losses on the lip and the left eye and right edge, that are coherent with archaic age and use within the culture. There is a sticker with written on it "Ratton Paris" and "7789". THe holes shown a extremely long use, they are large and very well patinated. Beautiful black patina encrusted at some place. The rear of the mask attest the magnificent archaism of this piece.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

En quête de formes, et de beauté Sir Jacob Epstein, s’inscrit en 1900, aux cours du soir de modelage, la statutaire le fascinait, le passionnait, pour sa force vibrante de vitalité tridimentionnelle. C’est à Paris en 1902, auprès de son entourage avant gardiste qu’il découvrit les arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie. Il acquit auprès de Paul Guillaume ses premiers objets formant ainsi le noyau de sa fascinante et célèbre collection. Il puisa son inspiration à travers les courbes et les formes originelles, originales des arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie.  Tout au long de son existence, et plus particulièrement dans les années 1930, il enrichira sa collection auprès notamment de Joseph Brummer, Louis Carré, Kenth Atoll Webster et Charles Ratton.  Il constitua avec goût une collection d’exception, vivant entouré de milliers d’objets, dont il prit le parti de partager la beauté et la singularité en les exposant lors d’événements majeurs incontournables tels qu’African Negro Art au MoMA de New York en 1935. En 1960, en guise d’hommage posthume et d’admiration le British art Council, lui dédia une exposition, organisée par William Fagg, mettant en lumière le coeur de sa collection et des ensemble-phares de pièces de qualité exceptionnelle. 

Singulier rare, et intriguant ce masque Dan exposé au MoMA en 1935, se distingue incontestablement du corpus traditionnel de par la puissance qui en émane, dont témoignent subtilement les clichés en noir en blanc de Walker Evans. 

La légère contorsion de la lèvre supérieure entre-ouverte, irrégulière, semble faire jaillir un souffle une expiration, elle donne vie au masque. Les commissures abaissées étaient autrefois serties de dents métalliques. Les paupières lourdes, tombantes, fermées, sont accentuées par des cernes dessinées en croissant de lune, sculptées en moyen relief. Subtilité magistrale du traitement du vide et du plein et des formes inversées- en demi arc de cercle- entre les yeux incisés et la lèvre supérieure en relief. La force des volumes du visage anguleux alliée au modelé irrégulier accentuent superbement la puissance de l’expressivité, et la tension de la face. Selon la classification morphologique des masques Dan d’Elisabeth Bissara, ce masque pourrait s’apparenter à la série D, intitulée masques aux yeux en demi sphère. L’étroite fente des yeux plissés identifie ce masque à un visage féminin, il « semble absorber toute la beauté mystérieuse du visage dans la profondeur des yeux ajourés, immenses, tournés vers l’infini » (Neyt, Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire, 2014, p. 40). Sa patine noire légèrement croûteuse témoigne de sa grande ancienneté et de son usage répété. S’affirmant par sa singularité ce masque témoigne le talent d’un sculpteur qui a su transcender les canons de beauté en pays Dan pour créer une œuvre unique d’une force expressive inégalée.

In 1900, in search of form and beauty, Sir Jacob Epstein enrolled in an evening course of clay-modelling classes during which his fascination with statuary spurred by the vibrant force of the three-dimensional vitality. He discovered the Early Arts in Paris in 1902, influenced by his avant-garde entourage. He acquired his first pieces from Paul Guillaume, which founded the nucleus of his fascinating and much-celebrated collection. He drew his inspiration from the unique and original curves and forms of the arts of Africa and Oceania. Throughout his life, and especially in the 1930s, he enriched his collection by purchasing pieces from dealers such as Joseph Brummer, Louis Carré, Webster and Charles Ratton. 

He tastefully built an exceptional collection and lived surrounded by thousands of objects, which beauty and uniqueness he decided to share by exhibiting them at major events such as the African Negro Art exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1935. In 1960, in posthumous tribute and admiration, the British Art Council dedicated an exhibition to his collection, curated by William Fagg and focusing on the heart of it and on the most iconic group of outstanding pieces. 

Unusual, rare and intriguing, this Dan mask, exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1935, is undoubtedly distinctive from the traditional corpus by virtue of the sheer power that it radiates. 

The slight twist of the upper lip in the half-open, crooked mouth seems to exude a breath, an exhalation; bringing the mask to life. The lowered corners of the mouth (deleted once) frame the metal (deleted inset) teeth. The heavy, drooping, closed eyelids are highlighted by rings in a crescent moon shape, sculpted in mid-relief below the eyes. The treatment of hollows and solids as well as of inverted shapes - in a semi-circle - between the slit eyes and the upper lip in relief reveals a subtlety born of consummate craftsmanship. The absolute force of the angular face's volume combined with its irregular shape superbly accentuates the vigor of the expression and the tension of the face. According to Elisabeth Bissara's morphological classification of Dan masks, this example may be related to the D series, known as half-sphere eye masks. The thin slit of the narrowed eyes identifies this mask as a female face; it "seems to absorb all the mysterious beauty of the expression (twice face) in the depth of the huge, perforated eyes, gazing into the distance". (Neyt, Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire, 2014, p.40). Its black, slightly crusty patina is a sign of its great antiquity and prolonged use. Truly matchless in its singularity, this piece showcases the talent of a sculptor who transcended the Dan canons of beauty to create a unique mask of unequalled expressive force.