- 166
AUTEL, KWELE, GABON |
估價
250,000 - 350,000 EUR
招標截止
描述
- haut. 47 cm ; 18 1/2 in
Autel, Kwele, Gabon
來源
Collection Edmond Olivier, acquis avant 1922
Collection Manvieu, France
Alain de Monbrison, Paris
Collection Richard Scheller, Palo Alto
Collection privée, Paris
Collection Manvieu, France
Alain de Monbrison, Paris
Collection Richard Scheller, Palo Alto
Collection privée, Paris
展覽
Paris, Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Fleuve Congo. Arts d’Afrique centrale, 22 juin - 3 octobre 2010
San Francisco, De Young Museum, Embodiments. Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture, 31 janvier - 5 juillet 2015
San Francisco, De Young Museum, Embodiments. Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture, 31 janvier - 5 juillet 2015
出版
Neyt, Fleuve Congo. Arts d’Afrique centrale, 2010, p. 49, n° 14
Prestel, Embodiments. Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture, 2015, pp. 150-151, n° 55
Prestel, Embodiments. Masterworks of African Figurative Sculpture, 2015, pp. 150-151, n° 55
拍品資料及來源
Les tabourets à quatre pieds surplombés d’une figure ancestrale sont connus chez la majorité des ethnies vivant le long du fleuve Congo mais sont particulièrement rares. Chez les Kwele, ils sont quasi uniques. En effet seuls deux témoins de ce corpus sont aujourd’hui connus : celui de l'ancienne collection de Marc Couillard (Sotheby’s, Paris, 17 juin 2009, n° 87) et l’œuvre présentée ici. Tous deux proviennent de la collection Manvieu et furent réunis au Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac lors de l’exposition Fleuve Congo en 2010. Témoins des échanges culturels intenses entre les populations de cette région, ces deux œuvres rappellent « les liens historiques établis lors des migrations des groupes du Gabon oriental et du Congo septentrional » (Neyt, Fleuve Congo. Arts d’Afrique Centrale, 2010, p. 57). Selon Louis Perrois à propos de la statue de la Collection Couillard, cette œuvre est « représentative d’un style qui conjugue l’étonnant imaginaire de l’aire ‘kota’ – exprimé dans la coiffe à crête aux volumes complexes que l’on retrouve en particulier sur certains masques heaumes emboli – et la stylisation délicate des grandes œuvres kwele […]. Le maître sculpteur a donné ici libre cours à son talent dans le traitement des volumes de la coiffe […] qui mettent en valeur le visage altier du personnage ». La sculpture présentée ici se distingue par son délicat sourire, que l’on retrouve sur plusieurs masques Kwele et qui renforce l’expression méditative et intemporelle de la figure ancestrale. De ce visage lunaire, autrefois entièrement recouvert de kaolin, émergent les organes sensoriels teintés de noir, affirmant les capacités protectrices de la figure. « Chez les Kwele, la figure reposant sur un tabouret ne contient pas les reliques. Elle apparaît comme une effigie vigilante et non un reliquaire […] Présence forte au milieu des esprits des morts, l’autel Kwele est, par sa forme et ses couleurs, une heureuse manifestation, gardienne privilégiée des reliques, lieu d’intercession et de protection, par conséquent de mise à l’écart de toute sorcellerie et acte malveillant » (Neyt, idem, p. 55).
Tous les objets cultuels des Kwele, taillés dans un bois assez léger, étaient des emblèmes de notabilité de la société initiatique du beete qui regroupait les notables et les guerriers. A travers ses rites, le beete permettait de mobiliser les forces magiques de la communauté en vue de résoudre des situations de crise, de conjurer un danger ou de favoriser la vie collective du village, en particulier la chasse. Les objets du beete étaient conservés dans une hutte servant de lieu secret de réunion aux initiés, et ces figures d’autel en constituaient les symboles les plus importants. En témoignent la présence du siège, qui souligne la vénération due à l’égard de l’ancêtre représenté, mais surtout des parcelles de bois prélevées à la surface du siège, utilisées comme ingrédients magiques par la communauté.
Four-legged stools with an ancestral figure above are common to the majority of ethnic groups living along the Congo River but they are exceptionally rare, almost unique, among the Kwele of eastern Gabon. Indeed only two exemplars of this corpus are known today: that formerly in the Marc Couillard collection (Sotheby's, Paris, June 17, 2009, No. 87) and the one presented here, both of which had been part of the Manvieu collection. They were reunited at the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac during the exhibition Fleuve Congo in 2010. As testaments to the intense cultural exchanges between populations in this region, these two sculptures evoke "the historical links established during the migrations of groups from Eastern Gabon and Northern Congo" (Neyt, Fleuve Congo. Arts d’Afrique Centrale, 2010, p. 57).
According to Louis Perrois, writing about the figure from the Couillard Collection, this work is "representative of a style that combines the astonishing imagination of the 'Kota' era - expressed in the crested coiffure with complex volumes that can be found in particular on certain emboli helmet masks - and the delicate stylization of great Kwele pieces [...]. The master sculptor gave free rein to his talent in the treatment of the volumes of the coiffure [...] which highlight the proud face of the figure.” The sculpture presented here, however, stands out for its delicate smile, which is found on several Kwele masks and heightens the meditative and timeless expression of the ancestral figure. From this lunar face, which used to be entirely coated in kaolin, there emerge sensory organs stained black, asserting the protective capacities of the figure. "Among the Kwele, the figure resting on a stool does not contain the relics. It appears as a watchful effigy rather than a reliquary [...] A strong presence in the midst of the spirits of the dead, the Kwele altar is, through its shape and colours, a happy manifestation, a privileged guardian of the relics, a place of intercession and protection, therefore set aside from any and all witchcraft or malicious act" (Neyt, ibid, p.55).
All Kwele ritual objects, carved in lightwood, were emblems of high rank within the beete initiatory society, which brought together dignitaries and warriors. Through its rituals the beete made it possible to mobilize magic forces of the community in order to solve crisis situations, ward off danger, or promote collective life within the village, especially when it came to hunting. Beete objects were kept in a hut that served as a secret meeting place for initiates, and these altar figures were its most important symbols. This is evidenced by the presence of the seat, which emphasizes the veneration due to the ancestor represented, but particularly by the pieces of wood that have been removed from the surface of the seat, as they were used as magic ingredients in the community.
Tous les objets cultuels des Kwele, taillés dans un bois assez léger, étaient des emblèmes de notabilité de la société initiatique du beete qui regroupait les notables et les guerriers. A travers ses rites, le beete permettait de mobiliser les forces magiques de la communauté en vue de résoudre des situations de crise, de conjurer un danger ou de favoriser la vie collective du village, en particulier la chasse. Les objets du beete étaient conservés dans une hutte servant de lieu secret de réunion aux initiés, et ces figures d’autel en constituaient les symboles les plus importants. En témoignent la présence du siège, qui souligne la vénération due à l’égard de l’ancêtre représenté, mais surtout des parcelles de bois prélevées à la surface du siège, utilisées comme ingrédients magiques par la communauté.
Four-legged stools with an ancestral figure above are common to the majority of ethnic groups living along the Congo River but they are exceptionally rare, almost unique, among the Kwele of eastern Gabon. Indeed only two exemplars of this corpus are known today: that formerly in the Marc Couillard collection (Sotheby's, Paris, June 17, 2009, No. 87) and the one presented here, both of which had been part of the Manvieu collection. They were reunited at the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac during the exhibition Fleuve Congo in 2010. As testaments to the intense cultural exchanges between populations in this region, these two sculptures evoke "the historical links established during the migrations of groups from Eastern Gabon and Northern Congo" (Neyt, Fleuve Congo. Arts d’Afrique Centrale, 2010, p. 57).
According to Louis Perrois, writing about the figure from the Couillard Collection, this work is "representative of a style that combines the astonishing imagination of the 'Kota' era - expressed in the crested coiffure with complex volumes that can be found in particular on certain emboli helmet masks - and the delicate stylization of great Kwele pieces [...]. The master sculptor gave free rein to his talent in the treatment of the volumes of the coiffure [...] which highlight the proud face of the figure.” The sculpture presented here, however, stands out for its delicate smile, which is found on several Kwele masks and heightens the meditative and timeless expression of the ancestral figure. From this lunar face, which used to be entirely coated in kaolin, there emerge sensory organs stained black, asserting the protective capacities of the figure. "Among the Kwele, the figure resting on a stool does not contain the relics. It appears as a watchful effigy rather than a reliquary [...] A strong presence in the midst of the spirits of the dead, the Kwele altar is, through its shape and colours, a happy manifestation, a privileged guardian of the relics, a place of intercession and protection, therefore set aside from any and all witchcraft or malicious act" (Neyt, ibid, p.55).
All Kwele ritual objects, carved in lightwood, were emblems of high rank within the beete initiatory society, which brought together dignitaries and warriors. Through its rituals the beete made it possible to mobilize magic forces of the community in order to solve crisis situations, ward off danger, or promote collective life within the village, especially when it came to hunting. Beete objects were kept in a hut that served as a secret meeting place for initiates, and these altar figures were its most important symbols. This is evidenced by the presence of the seat, which emphasizes the veneration due to the ancestor represented, but particularly by the pieces of wood that have been removed from the surface of the seat, as they were used as magic ingredients in the community.