- 13
Figure for Malagan, Hamba Region, New Ireland
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
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Description
- wood, turbo shell (turbo pentholatus)
- Height: 45 5/8 in (115.9 cm)
Provenance
Augustin Krämer, collected in situ
Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, Oceanic and African Art from the Heinrich Collection, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, October 21, 1967, lot 70
Aaron & Joyce Furman, New York, acquired at the above auction
Thence by descent
Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, Oceanic and African Art from the Heinrich Collection, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, October 21, 1967, lot 70
Aaron & Joyce Furman, New York, acquired at the above auction
Thence by descent
Condition
Minor marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, small chips, cracks, and some insect flight holes, consistent with age and use. The proper right arm, which would have been attached separately (mortise joint visible in the catalogue illustration), is missing. A section of the semi-circular openwork behind the proper left arm is broken and glued, with traces of plaster and glue at either end of the break and a few spots of plaster elsewhere to this section. Repainting in places throughout, including to the face.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The present figure, from New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago, was reportedly collected in situ by Augustin Krämer, the famous German naturalist and ethnographer who in 1925 pronounced that 'the art of the Bismarck Archipelago is the pinnacle of the development of original art on earth'.
The figure was subsequently in the collection of Ernst Heinrich, whose great passion was for objects from New Ireland and the Bismarck Archipelago. Heinrich 'traveled all over Germany asking former colonials about any possible artifacts that they might have brought back [...]' (Conru, ed., Bismarck Archipelago Art, 2014, p. 61) and over the course of several decades he assembled an extraordinary collection, which he housed in his 'Kannibalen Haus'. An interior photograph of the 'Kannibalen Haus' shows Heinrich astride a rocking horse in front of uli figures and malagan carvings, including the the present figure.