LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June African & Oceanic Art Auction #645  / 

48232

Gabon AreaStanding Female FigureWood

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:450.00 USD Estimated At:900.00 - 1,100.00 USD
Gabon AreaStanding Female FigureWood
<B>Gabon Area</B></I><BR>Standing Female Figure<BR>Wood, traces of pigment<BR>Height: 8 inches Width: 2 1/4 inches Depth: 2 inches<BR><BR>As with so much sculpture from Gabon, the exact origin and purpose of this delicate figure is uncertain. The left hand touching the breast is a gesture which regularly indicates fecundity and what that means for the well-being and perpetuation of a group. In his collection notes, H. Bruce Greene has written: "This figure was collected by a missionary north of the Congo during the late 1800's. This was sent home to the Missionary Society in Baltimore, Maryland, and later given to the Maryland Academy of Sciences in Baltimore… The Academy suffered a fire in 1905, which among other things, destroyed the information which had accompanied the piece." There are cracks on the front of the torso toward the proper right and a large crack is on the proper left side of the head. The fronts of both feet are missing.<BR><BR>Provenance: Missionary Society, Baltimore<BR>Maryland Academy of Sciences, Baltimore, de-accessioned in the late 1960s<BR>H. Bruce Greene II and family, Naples, Florida<BR><BR><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
Sign In to Bookmark Lot