Senufo Champion Cultivator Staff, Côte d'Ivoire
Estimate:
150,000 - 250,000 USD
Property from an American Private Collection
Senufo Champion Cultivator Staff, Côte d'Ivoire
Height (overall): 54 1/2 in (138.5 cm); Height (figure): 13 in (33 cm)
Excellent condition for an object of this age and type. Vertical age cracks to both sides of bowl on top of the figure. Age crack to the proper left side of the face; Old and well patinated losses to proper left ear and to front of coiffure; open age crack, also well patinated, to the front of the stool. Exceptionally fine, nuanced patina, with glistening remains of ritually applied oil to the figure and the topmost part of the staff.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, The Helena Rubinstein Collection: African and Oceanic Art, Parts One and Two, April 21 & 29, 1966, lot 100
Alexander S. Honig, Bronxville, New York, acquired at the above auction
Sotheby's, New York, The Alexander S. Honig Collection of African Art, May 18, 1993, lot 55
Lance and Roberta Entwistle, London, acquired at the above auction
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1993
Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi, Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa, Milan, 2014, p. 158, pl. 110 (also published in French as Senufo sans frontières. La dynamique des arts et des identités)
Hélène Joubert, ed., Helena Rubinstein. La collection de Madame, Paris, 2019, p. 109, cat. no. 23 (also published in English as Helena Rubinstein: Madame's Collection)
Musée du quai branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, Helena Rubinstein. La collection de Madame, November 19, 2019 - September 27, 2020