Sapi Stone Head, Sierra Leone

Collected in situ by Mario Meneghini in 1972
Mario Meneghini, Monrovia
Carlo Monzino, Lugano, acquired from the above
Sotheby's, Paris, September 30, 2002, lot 69
Johann Levy, Paris, acquired at the above auction
Private American Collection, acquired from the above

Very good condition for an object of this great age and rare type. Neck is fragmentary as shown in catalogue illustration. Old losses to nose and lips. Cut mark above proper right eye, possibly from a plow at the time of discovery. Pits, tool marks, and shallow surface chips. Minor marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, cracks, and chips consistent with age. Fine aged surface, rubbed and worn.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Stone sculptures like the present head are the only remnants of a vanished cultural empire that existed centuries ago in the area of present-day Sierra Leone and Liberia. William Siegmann (1943-2011) wrote in an unpublished essay for Sotheby's (2008): "Over that past century and a half, numerous stone carvings have been found in the southeastern part of Sierra Leone between the Sewa and Mano river basins, and stretching between the coast and the border with Guinea as well as in adjacent portions of Liberia. The earliest direct references to stone carvings in the region of Sierra Leone and western Liberia are found in the writings of a British missionary George Thompson in 1852 (George Thompson, Thompson in Africa: or an Account of the Missionary Labors, Sufferings, Travels and Observations, of George Thompson in Western Africa, at the Mendi Mission, New York, 1852, p. 289). He reported finding a group of five of them located at the base of a tree. All were broken or damaged, whether deliberately or accidentally is not clear. When he asked the local chiefs where they came from, the chiefs told him that 'We don't know; but suppose they grew - nobody among us now can make such things.'

"Ever since Thompson's report, there has been speculation about the origin and age of such stone figures. They have been found over a wide area of Sierra Leone and western Liberia, primarily between the Moa and St. Paul Rivers. We can say 'found' since none of the current inhabitants claim to know anything about who made the pieces and indeed virtually all of the pieces are acquired by farmers clearing their fields for planting, well diggers, or by diamond miners. In principle, therefore, all of the stones are archaeological relics. Regrettably, not a single documented instance has been reported of a scientific excavation of one of these pieces and all are essentially 'accidental' finds.

"They are found in areas now inhabited by a number of different ethnic groups who call them by different terms depending on their own language. The Mende, who today inhabit the largest portion of the region in which they are found, generally refer to them as nomoli meaning 'found spirit' (nomolisia, pl.). A sub-group of stone heads with pedestal-like necks without a body and commonly nearly life sized are referred to as Mahen Yafe or 'head of the chief' [...].

"It is generally accepted that the makers of these objects were rarely from the populations that now inhabit the region. Only in areas now inhabited by the Kissi is there any indication that these figures might have been carved by the ethnic groups that currently inhabit the areas. Moreover, there are no indications in the early Portuguese or Dutch accounts of the coast that there was a stone carving tradition active on the coast at the time of early European contact. This region has undergone significant population movements and social change in the last five centuries due to migration of Mande speaking groups from the north, the social disruption of the slave trade, and a significant amount of warfare during these centuries. It is possible that these disruptions are responsible for the discontinuation of the stone carving tradition."