Ambete / Kota Obamba Gabon Rediscovery of an Ambete/Kota Oba - Lot 12

Lot n° 12
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Estimation :
6000 - 8000 EUR
Ambete / Kota Obamba Gabon Rediscovery of an Ambete/Kota Oba - Lot 12
Ambete / Kota Obamba Gabon Rediscovery of an Ambete/Kota Obamba sculpture in southern France In the very limited corpus (around ten known examples) of heads attributed to the Ambété, the present example is unquestionably by the same hand as the one presented at the Musée Dapper in November 1986 on the occasion of the exhibition "La voie des ancêtres" (catalog no. 41), then, in 1987, "Chef d'œuvre inédit de l'Afrique noire" (no. 210 ed Bordas). This head belonged to the former Joseph Hessel collection, as did figure 42, which was once in the Charles Ratton collection. With the exception of an additional border around the top of the forehead, the style of our example is identical. The long, oblique scarification marks on the cheeks, a glass bead set into the pupils, the large, sagittal crested headdress and a metal hoop under the chin strap, designed to hold a string of milking pearls, are all present. The half-open mouth features a row of wooden teeth at the top. The right side of the face has been partially attacked by woodborers. The light-colored wood (ricinodendron hendelotii, according to Musée Dapper legends) is tinted with light-brown pigment. The realistic face is reminiscent of certain Kuyu marotte heads. Their function is uncertain; according to Louis Perrois, they would have had an emblematic and protective role (Art du Gabon p213), but they are most often presented as reliquary box covers. Purchased in the 1990's at a flea market in Montpellier by its current owner, this head has unfortunately not revealed its exact origin, but the dates of collection of nearby examples, notably those reported by the administrator Poupon who was stationed in the Middle Congo between 1900 and 1923, allow us to date the creation of this sculpture to the late 19th or early 20th century. Collection C. David Avignon L: 46cm
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