| Hongwe/Mahongwe reliquary "bwete" GABON 24.5" tall on base Head is 9" wide Provenance: ex W. Schneider Collection - US Old and authentic Hongwe reliquary figures are rare and extremely expensive. They have been produced specifically for the collecting market for quite some time now. It has been stated in many publications that the authentic production of these types of figures ceased to be made sometime in the 30's due to the influence of missionaries who repressed the cult that used them, and many of the figures were burned or thrown into lakes. (Update Oct 2006) - Louis Perrois writes in "African Faces, African Figures - The Arman Collection" - "All such objects disappeared from the villages between 1940 and 1960. Confiscated by missionaries or destroyed by prophets of new syncretic religions (the "Mademoiselle" cult, for example), others were sometimes merely hidden in ancient cemeteries, deep in the forest, where, accidentally, some are still being recovered." From what I have read about various cults that were ordered ceased my the missionaries in the early part of the 20th Century, sometimes these cultures practiced these cults in secret and the production of objects such as this continued either in their traditional form, or in forms that adopted modern objects that replaced the traditional forms in order to help ensure the secrecy of the continued cult. There is a lot of literature out there, most of which I don't have in my small library, and there are many different statements made as to when different cults ceased to exist and what the extent of continued production of traditional objects was, so it is possible that objects that we thought were no longer traditionally made after a certain point did continue, but the research I have access to is sketchy as far as how long these cults may have continued in secrecy. I don't know what to think about the authenticity of this figure, but I am inclined to think that it was a figure specifically made for the collecting market and not one made for their original intended purpose. That being said, I think the figure is in excellent style for these types of figures. I have seen several of these figures in museum collections and high end galleries, and in my opinion this figure compares nicely against any one of them I have seen. I enjoy it in my collection. |
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| This piece was in the exhibition "Grave Matters - The Art of Memory and Mourning" at the Loveland Art Museum in Colorado (shown above) |
| My new photo style. Still not perfect, but it's a big improvement! |
| My old photo style |
| Examples below for reference purposes |
| Above is an example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY |
| Property sold for the Benefit of The Mazes S. Schupf Foundation, Inc. Sotheby's May 6, 1994 Lot 141 A Fine Mahongwe Reliquary Figure, the eroded lenticular body supporting a neck encircled by copper strips beneath a truncated oval face similarly covered, with a flat strip above diminutive conical eyes and a narrow nose, the reverse similar.-, encased, covered with a brass plate running down the center, and surmounted by a cylindrical cresi tuft wrapped in brass strips; fine aged patina. Height 19 in. (48.3 cm.) Provenance: J.J. Klejman, New York, 1968. estimate $50,000-70,000 |
| Ritchies - Toronto Decorative Arts Auction, Day 2 Auction Date : Jun 8, 2005 Lot 3215 : Mahongwe Wood And Metal Reliquary Guardian Figure Description Gabon. The openwork handle supporting the half oval head with narrow projecting nose, round eyes and a cylindrical projection atop the head, all decorated in copper strips and wire. Height 53 cm. (19 in.). Estimate:$ 3,000 - $ 5,000 Price Realized:$ 2,400 |
| Sotheby's - Paris Art Africain et Océanien, Auction Date : Jun 15, 2004 Lot 164 : f - FIGURE DE RELIQUAIRE, MAHONGWÉ, GABON Dimensions haut. 54 cm Estimate:€ 40,000 - € 50,000 Price Realized:€ 0 Provenance LOT PROVENANT D'UNE COLLECTION PRIVÉE Ancienne collection Ch. Ratton, Paris Ancienne collection M. Rousseau, Paris Ancienne collection Arman, New York Ancienne collection A. Schoeller, Paris Published Reproduit dans Le Musée vivant, novembre 1948, numéro spécial 36-37, fig. 9, p. 16 Notes Previously known by the name of Ossyéba, the Mahongwe sub-style of the Kota people, of which they form the northern branch, was only identified as such by Perrois in 1966. The carving of this bwete (a name that refers to both the cult of ancestors and their reliquaries figures), as well as the high position of the nose and eyes, makes it possible, according to the classification established by L. Perrois (1985, p. 42), to identify it as a "big" bwete, corresponding to the figures of the founders of the lineage. The style of this historical work, with its wide brass plaque covering the face, is unique among the known Mahongwe reliquary figures in private and museum collections. |
| Christie's - New York THE RUSSELL B. AITKEN COLLECTION OF AFRICAN AND OCEANIC ART Auction Date : Apr 3, 2003 Lot 75 : A FINE MAHONGWE RELIQUARY FIGURE Description The concave truncated oval face covered with vertical metal panel at the centre with attached slender nose and metal disc eyes, diagonal metal strips joining the eyes to the lower border of the face, each side with horizontal narrow metal strips, the reverse with three vertical ridges at the center and embossed stippled ornament, the pierced lozenge body with copper and brass binding, metal binding about the conical projection at the top, the wood with dark glossy patina, white painted number 8303, on Inagaki base 201/2in. (54.5cm.) high PROVENANCE Frank Crowninshield, New York Mrs. George W. Crawford EXHIBITION African Negro Art from the Collection of Frank Crowninshield, The Brooklyn Museum, 1937. Estimate:$ 60,000 - $ 80,000 Price Realized:$ 57,360 |
| From a Sotheby's auction: A SUPERB MAHONGUE RELIQUARY GUARDIAN FIGURE LOCATION ESTIMATE AUCTION DATE New York 25,000—35,000 USD Session 1 15 Nov 02 10:15 AM Lot Sold. Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium: 29,875 USD height 18in. 45.7cm bwete, the base of fragmentary form, the front arching leg beneath a neck encircled by copper strips and supporting the leaf-shaped head, with diminutive features, a flat, protruding nose and disc-like eyes and decorated with brass strips with a knob at the crown; fine aged and encrusted patina. Provenance: Charles Ratton, Paris Marc Riviére, Paris Cf. Perrois (1979: figures 128 and 140) for related reliquary figures and discussion. |
| From the book: African Faces, African Figures: The Arman Collection Reliquary Figure - Mahongwe, Gabon Wood, copper; H. 50 cm. Formerly in the Jacques Kerchache Collection. Sale at Sotheby's, London, 30 March 1987. Exhibition: Le m'boueti des Mahongoue, Jacques Kerchache 1967. Publications: — C. Roy, J. Kerchache, Le m'boueti des Mahongoue, 1967, p. 26, specimen 23. - F. Chaffin, L'Art kota, p. 87, no. 10. CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE LARGER VERSION |
| From the book: African Faces, African Figures: The Arman Collection Reliquary Figure - Mahongwe, Gabon Wood, copper; H. 37 cm. CLICK ON IMAGE TO SEE LARGER VERSION |
| The 2 figures above are a couple that I have found that exhibit design in the center metal strip from the top of the head down to the eyes, like my figure has (It is harder to see in the example on the right, but I believe the design extends to the top of the figure). Most examples found in literature have a simple and undecorated center plane and simple undecorated metal strips coming out from the center of the head to the outside. I placed these two examples on this page to show the variations that can be seen on some examples. Some examples have metal placed over the base of the object as well, but not all, and some of the objects with metal at the base also exhibit patterns in the metal. |