Archives: Art For Sale

A Fine Collection of Antique African Passport Masks West Africa

Most Dan face masks genre, and those of the culturally related groups of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, are commonly executed in a miniature form, ranging in height between 6 and 20 centimetres.

Even the largest miniatures are too small to be worn in front of the face, and they rarely exhibit any means by which they may be attached to anything. The most common mask type represented in such a diminutive form is deangle (attractive mask with slit eyes, performs a feminine behaviour)

Miniature masks bear many names: the most common is ma go (small head), but depending on scholarship it has also be named gba po (thing which is fed), or nyonkula (substitute for the ancestors). Echoing the variety of names, they fulfill a variety of functions. Anyone who has a spiritual connection with a mask, or whose family owns an important mask, is entitled to commission a miniature. Rubbed with oil and food, they are wrapped up and kept on the owner’s body or among his possessions and function as portable and personal forms that share the power and protective force of the full-sized mask.

Miniature masks are carved to embody tutelary spirits and serve as testimony to the presence of the spirit associated with a large masquerade. When a mask-owner is travelling, the miniature mask serves as an important means of identification outside his immediate community. This role that may have given it the commonly applied name of “passport mask.”

Diviners can advise individuals to commission a miniature mask for preventative, protective, or curative purposes.

In addition to being the property of one single individual, in certain instances miniature masks may also play a communal role in secret societies. They are among the sacred objects displayed at men’s society meetings to protect the men collectively, and can be shown to new initiates. On these occasions they are interpreted to be representations of the benevolent spirits associated with the most important masquerades of the area. They are used as sacred objects for taking oaths and for swearing to tell the truth.

Whether personal or collective, miniature masks must be fed regularly to remain strong and able to help their owner. Food may be simply set before it, or the offering, such as rice or oil, may be rubbed or poured onto it. On special occasions a sacrificed chicken’s blood is spilled onto the mask. The range of offerings and use explain the variety observed in the miniature’s patinas.

Provenance: Many Old Collections from Europe & North America. The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art

Sources
Fischer, Eberhard and Himmelheber, Hans. The Arts of the Dan in West Africa. Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 1984
Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk and Bortolot, Alexander, Eds. Visions from the Forests: The Art from Liberia and Sierra Leone. Exh. Cat. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Seattle and London: The University of Washington Press, 2014
Johnson, Barbara C. Four Dan Sculptors: Continuity and Change. Exh. Cat. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. M. H. de Young Memorial Museum. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986
Vandenhoute, Pieter-Jan, 1938–1939 unpublished field notes, as cited by Claessens, Bruno in Refined Eye, Passionate Heart: African Art from the Leslie Sacks Collection. Amanda M. Maples Ed. Milano, Italy: Skira, [2013]

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us 

Three Antique African Amulet Figures; two from the Lobi People of the Ivory Coast & Songye People from the Congo

These three small African Amulet Figures are small-scale artworks but BIG in sculptural beauty, each figure was selected by me because of their aesthetics and age. The two amulet figures on either end are from the Lobi People called bateba phuwe and are from Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso both West African Countries, Lobi artists are renowned for their realistic figures; the one on the far left has a large navel poking out and has a beautiful old patina from long handling.  The other Lobi Amulet on the far right, is a male figure in classic Lobi style, and it also has a beautiful old patina from long use.

The middle figure is from the Songye people, sometimes written Songe, who are a Bantu ethnic group from the central Democratic Republic of the Congo. The people of Songye believe in a supreme being Ele-ife, however, he is not praised as much as ancestral spirits. Ancestral worship is very prevalent within Songye culture, it is believed that the spirit of their ancestors is more accessible to them due to their shared experience of being alive, as a result of this, these spirits have a connection to both the land of the living and the dead and can enact their will on the community via ancestral images like this little figure

I bought these little African Figures because of their aesthetics and age and I wanted to see how they looked displayed with my small Oceanic Artworks, they all look amazing together. There is something very special about small-scale artworks when grouped they become something more, a family of small artworks, a collection,

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art 

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us 

Superb African Antique Kissi Penny Iron Currency Liberia Sierra Leone West Africa 19th Century 

The Kissi Penny was an iron currency made in Sierra Leone that circulated widely near its production among Gbandi (Bandi), Gola, Kissi, Kpelle, Loma, Mandinka and Mende and other people of Liberia, Sierra Leone.

During the late 19th century, Kissi pennies were minted from the natural iron ore located in what is known today as Liberia, Serra Leone, and Guinea. Referred to by the Kissi people as Kilindi, the Europeans who colonized the region referred to them as Kissi pennies or Kissi money. During this time, Kissi pennies began to circulate in the African regions along with European and American paper money.

Kissi pennies are thin, twisted rods of high-quality iron with one end molded into the shape of a “T” called niling (ear) and the other end shaped into a flat spatula-like form called kodo (foot).  One of the possible reasons for its unusual shape could be because it is almost impossible to alter or shave the penny without the tampering being noticeable.

Due to the unusual human-like shape, the Kissi people believed the pennies held souls. Rods vary in size from about 6’’ to 18’’ with longer ones being of higher value. Generally, Kissi pennies were fastened into bundles of twenty rods as a single Kissi penny was not worth much. There are different proposed explanations about why Kissi believed this currency held souls: the shape may resemble an abstract human form, and the iron-working process contains symbolic meanings. If a Kissi penny were to break, the loss of the soul devalued the penny. Only the Zoe, a trained blacksmith, could repair it, for a fee, the Zoe would rejoin the broken penny to restore the missing soul.

West Africans from the region of modern-day Liberia and Sierra Leone have used iron as a trading good and standard of value for a long time,  Ironworking had developed in the region by ca. 600

Even after they were discontinued for use as currency, Kissi pennies continued to be employed in the society of the region, for example, as tokens of completing rituals in the Poro and Sande Societies; as bride wealth, and also to be placed on tombs and graves, where they were believed to channel the souls of the dead.

Provenance:  Allen Christensen Collection  1908-1981  with original label 

The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art 

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us 

A Fine Old African Door Lock Banama People Mali or Senegal West Africa 19th Century

This beautiful old Door Lock is in the form of an abstract ancestor figure, the triangular-shaped head likely represents a type of traditional hairstyle. The body comprises the lock mechanism on the back & the front has finely incised geometric designs.

These door locks were generally used to protect houses and granaries. Bamana door locks range from abstract and symbolic to representations of ancestors. They are usually larger and more figurative than those of their Dogon neighbours.

Door locks were given as gifts to young brides and were passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation. The locks tended to be given names according to the message, ancestor or story to which their form and motifs referred. The form of motifs employed in door locks usually are invested with symbolic messages despite their formal simplicity. These messages, both in abstract and representational imagery, can be deeply personal. The stylized figure is usually a representation of an ancestor whose presence is required to ensure protection from bad spirits or sorcery. An addition of animal representation enhances the power of the ancestors and therefore provides additional protection.

Mechanically, the locks consisted of two parts. The vertical element which was nailed to the door, and the horizontal element, or bolt, secured the door to the frame. The bolt typically had five parts that together resulted in a locking mechanism that was highly secure against those who didn’t know how to use the key. But the importance of the lock had little to do with its physical complexity and strength. Rather, the power of the lock came from its magical content, whether real or imagined.

As recently as 60 years ago. the houses in the villages of the Bambara in Mali were distinctive because of finely carved wooden door locks.

These door locks were intended to prohibit the entrance into the house of evil persons or evil spirits. In particular, the locks were one part of a widespread effort to control Nyale. Nyale is the god or life force that represents creativity and fertility and energy, but unless controlled results in chaos. The strength and complexity of the locks was reinforced by the perceived power of the forces of stability and calm to deal with any intruders. For example, the inverted triangular form at the base of the vertical pieces of these locks could represent a python’s head. The python was regarded as a symbol of god and thus a potent guard against sorcery and magic.

Provenance The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us 

Two Fine Old African Beaded Wooden Flutes or Whistles Bamileke Grasslands People Cameroon

These beautiful old Ceremonial Flutes come from the Bamileke people of the Cameroon Grasslands.

Flutes of differing shapes and forms are used in ceremonies across West Africa. The Grasslands flutes have a distinctive shape that incorporates zoomorphic and anthropomorphic elements in a supremely functional design. These lovely carved wooden flutes in traditional form, take on the shape of a hollowed, stylized figure that combines human and animal features. Two finger holes on either side of the body mimic projecting arms. The top is carved into a large crescent shape, which helps support the lips when played.

The flutes are embroidered with traditional glass beads. Usually played by men during a dance known as Ndong. Ndong is performed when a new wife arrives at her husband’s house. On that occasion, music is supplied exclusively by this type of flute or whistle. The art styles of the peoples in the Grasslands (Bamileke, Bamum and Tikar) are very hard to differentiate due to the complex migration and exchange patterns that are typical of the region.

My collection was selected by aesthetics only not by geography or culture,  I bought only what I liked the best after looking at many examples in reference books & museum collections. The African Artworks in my collection consist of a collection of antique Passport Masks, antique African  Flutes or Whistles and, small Ancestor Figures; these are greatly enjoyed & displayed along with my Oceanic & Asian Art

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us