Venavi

Some more Venavi.

Tchamba figure

Tchamba figure (Nord Togo)
18 cm.
Old and eroded ritual figure from Tchamba people.


The intersting exhibition on Nord Togo statues held at the forthcoming Paris Tribal by a well known gallery made me remember the only Tchamba item I have in my collection: an old and very eroded little statuette I had from an english little dealer a lot of years ago.

Here it is.

Losso figure Koumea area

Another Losso figure from Koumea area: this one is 22,5 cm, thinner and "smaller" than the other example I already showed and it is probably older.
I had it from Sylvain Pette.

Here are a resume of the Lamba and Losso items in my collection, at the moment (click on the image to see the whole photo).

Update: The Swiss scholar Thomas Keller had put this statue and the other from the same hand in my collection in a paper on Lamba - Losso statuary.

research-outcome-works-from-lambalosso

based!

Ewe venavi couple

Another couple of Vevavi from my not-so-little collection…
Ewe, 18 cm each.
Prov.: Sylvain Pette

Mumuye bird mask

Ecco una maschera che ha creato dibattito tra alcuni autorevoli ed esperti commentatori: forse anche perché essa è priva di una provenienza "sicura", come una importante galleria parigina o belga o una collezione prestigiosa, qualcuno ha detto che è un falso; qualche altro esperto, tra cui uno dei massimi conoscitori dell'arte nigerana nel mondo, ha invece detto che è un oggetto autentico e abbastanza vecchio. Io, personalmente, penso siano nel giusto questi secondi. Ma è chiaro che sono parte interessata in causa.


Here is a mask that has created debate among some authoritative and expert commentators: perhaps also because it lacks a "safe" provenance, such as an important Parisian or Belgian gallery or a prestigious collection, someone said it is a fake; some other expert, including one of the greatest connoisseurs of Nigerian art in the world, has instead said that it is an authentic and quite old object. Personally, I think these seconds are right. But it is clear that I am an interested party.

Mumuye "bird" mask
cm. 45 x 20

Yoruba Owo Ibadan - Ibeji figure

Old and "cubistic" Ibeji from Ibadan (Owo tribe, Yoruba people).
Prov.: Sylvain Pette