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

48235

Vili (Democratic Republic of Congo,Ivory figures

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:3,000.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
Vili (Democratic Republic of Congo,Ivory figures
<B>Vili (Democratic Republic of Congo, Loango region)</B></I><BR>Rectangular Sculpture with Six Figures<BR>Ivory<BR>Height: 2 ¾ inches; Width: 1 ¾ inches; Depth: 1 inch<BR><BR>From the mid-nineteenth century through the first two decades of the twentieth, the coastal Vili of the Loango region made thousands of skillfully carved ivory sculptures for sale to Europeans. Some were small enough to fit in the palm of the hand, or a sailor's pocket, as is this example. Others covered an entire tusk with a spiraling procession of small figures. Most, as seen here, are surprisingly well carved and project a somewhat whimsical take on the subject, whether it is encounters between Europeans and "natives" as seen on the two broader surfaces, or Africans, sometimes, as here, in puzzling roles. Is the suddenly modest figure a satire on European attitudes toward nakedness, newly missionary-instilled? Is the other naked figure dropping off a wall in hopes of escaping enslavement? Age cracks are visible overall, with one small chip missing at the base toward the rear of the woman's long skirt.<BR><BR>Provenance:<BR><BR>Skinner,Boston: sale 2209, lot 93<BR>Gary Hendershott, Little Rock<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>)
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