Cassandra D'Cruz
Specialist, Head of Sale
This auction has ended. View lot details
You may also be interested in
Lot 60
Djenne Pendant of a Kneeling Couple, Inland Niger Delta, Mali, 14th - 16th Century
13 November 2018, 11:00 EST
New YorkSold for US$8,750 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our African and Oceanic Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Djenne Pendant of a Kneeling Couple, Inland Niger Delta, Mali, 14th - 16th Century
height 2in (5.1cm)
Provenance
Hélène and Philippe Leloup, Paris
American Private Collection, acquired in 1992
Exhibited
New York, Echoing Images - Couples in African Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 10, 2004 - September 5, 2004
'Across the vastness and complexity of sub-Saharan Africa, and over the centuries, representations of couples,' notes Alisa LaGamma, 'have evoked a fundamental desire of the human condition--a yearning of the individual to transcend isolation and connect with an "other." Figurative pairs created by artists from the extreme reaches of the continent, ranging from the Dogon of Mali to the Sakalava of Madagascar, constitute artistic explorations into this realm of duality, that aesthetic quest at once engenders original and distinctive creations and commentaries that touch on a universally accessible theme. While these figures grow out of a mythos present in many cultures around the world, images of idealized figurative pairs often express underlying social and philosophical ideas concerning duality that are culturally specific.
The term "couple" suggests the presence of a bond that joins two elements together. Although Western social conventions have conceived of such pairing as comprising a man and a woman, the term also can be applied to two persons or forces paired together. Both a quintessential human desire to seek out unions with other human beings and the duality of the human condition have been the source of philosophical speculation since antiquity.' (Echoing Images - Couples in African Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004, p. 9)
The male and female romantically joined as a couple, seated side-by-side in seiza style with their hands resting on their knees; each with rounded head gazing slightly upwards, together in the same direction, with button eyes, elongated noses and pursed lips; circular suspension holes on each back, the female's broken off; shiny dark brown patina with green oxidation, mostly encrusted in the crevices.
Provenance
Hélène and Philippe Leloup, Paris
American Private Collection, acquired in 1992
Exhibited
New York, Echoing Images - Couples in African Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 10, 2004 - September 5, 2004
'Across the vastness and complexity of sub-Saharan Africa, and over the centuries, representations of couples,' notes Alisa LaGamma, 'have evoked a fundamental desire of the human condition--a yearning of the individual to transcend isolation and connect with an "other." Figurative pairs created by artists from the extreme reaches of the continent, ranging from the Dogon of Mali to the Sakalava of Madagascar, constitute artistic explorations into this realm of duality, that aesthetic quest at once engenders original and distinctive creations and commentaries that touch on a universally accessible theme. While these figures grow out of a mythos present in many cultures around the world, images of idealized figurative pairs often express underlying social and philosophical ideas concerning duality that are culturally specific.
The term "couple" suggests the presence of a bond that joins two elements together. Although Western social conventions have conceived of such pairing as comprising a man and a woman, the term also can be applied to two persons or forces paired together. Both a quintessential human desire to seek out unions with other human beings and the duality of the human condition have been the source of philosophical speculation since antiquity.' (Echoing Images - Couples in African Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2004, p. 9)
The male and female romantically joined as a couple, seated side-by-side in seiza style with their hands resting on their knees; each with rounded head gazing slightly upwards, together in the same direction, with button eyes, elongated noses and pursed lips; circular suspension holes on each back, the female's broken off; shiny dark brown patina with green oxidation, mostly encrusted in the crevices.
Additional information
Bid now on these items
