Individualism by Masterart

Individualism Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known Oscar Wilde

by appointment: England : Suite 744, 2 Old Brompton Road, London sw7 3dq Mobile : + 44 [0] 77 68 23 69 21 Belgium : Rue Ernest Allard 32, 1000 Brussels Mobile : + 32 [0] 470 64 46 51 USA : 717 Madison Avenue, 5/a New York, NY, 10065 Email : enquiries@ﬁnch-and-co.co.uk Website : www.ﬁnchandco.art

You stand vertically and you look horizontally Paul Feiler

Paul Feiler (British 1918 – 2013) Still Life with Fruit

A Finely Carved Maori Feather Treasure Box and Cover

3 A Fine Specimen of a Seychelles Coco de Mer

A Rare Erotic SnuV Box

5 A Finely Carved Dan Mask

A Celtic Stone Head with Staring Eyes Long Nose and Slit Mouth

A Prestige Caryatid Stool

Style is ephemeral – Form is eternal The Bomberg Papers An Anthology From X

David Bomberg (British 1890 – 1957) The Players

9 A Rare and Extremely Fine South African Tsonga Prestige StaV by the Baboon Master

An Unusual and Rare English Memento Mori Carved Shrine with Two Human Skulls

An Extremely Fine Quality Lacquer Box and Cover with Internal Tray

A Fine Gandharan Head of a Buddha

13 A Fine and Rare Shona Knife and Sheath

The word paradox has always had a kind of magic for me, and I think my pictures have a paradoxical quality, a paradox of chaos and order in one Bridget Riley

14 Bridget Riley (British born, 1931) 27th July 1987

15 A Songye Protective Fetish Figure Nkishi of Geometric Form

I am never tired when I make pots Lucie Rie

Dame Lucie Rie (1902 – 1995) Squeezed Bowl

17 A Carved Ebony Prestige StaV Depicting an Important Elder wearing a Head-Ring Isicoco

A Rare Collection of Seven Slave or Prisoner Tokens

… i am thinkin of givin up The paints all to gether i have nothin But Persecution and gelecy [jealousy] and if you can com [come] down for an hour or 2 you can take them with you and give what they are worf [worth] afterwards. These drawers and shopes are all jealous of me.… letter from Alfred Wallis to Jim Ede

19 Alfred Wallis (British 1855 – 1942) Four Sailing Boats and Pier Head

Superbly Carved Lime Spatula Representing Two Figures

Two Fine Kunstkammer Candlesticks

A Dervish’s Sword Stick

23 An Unusual Polynesian Fighting Club of Tapered Pole Club Form

I’m not an expert, but I want to be Ben Nicholson

24 Ben Nicholson (British 1894 – 1982) Ronco

25 A Powerful Kongo Fetish Figure

A Rare Santa Cruz Double Roll of Red Feather Currency Tevau

27 A Very Rare Early British Sailors’ Walrus Ivory Teetotum Ball with a Crowned Portrait Head of King Charles II

An Early Group of Four African Figures exhibited in New York, September 1935, the same year as Moma’s groundbreaking African Art Exhibition

29 An Unusual and Small Celtic Stone Head

The thing of interest is the actual life of the work: its growth from a particular white canvas or board… It is the process, the method of development that is the life of the painting and this that absorbs my interest rather than the attractions of any particular form or colour. The forms themselves, their size and position are born from the process Adrian Heath

30 Adrian Heath (British 1920 – 1992) Composition

31 A Powerful Female Bakorozai Initiation Mask

32 An Extremely Fine and Detailed Large Carved Wood Skull

33 A Ceremonial Mask

34 A Rare and Finely Carved Weser Renaissance Stone Head

35 A Serene Vuvi Mask

36 A Songye Male Power Figure

Through her training as a potter in Vienna to her exile in London, and to her creation of a style of making that had no counterpoint in the earthy functionalism of British pottery, she projected a force-ﬁeld of separation from the expectations of those around her Edmund de Waal

37 Dame Lucie Rie (1902 – 1995) Bottle Vase with Flaring Rim

38 A Very Fine Carved StaV by Sikiré Kambiré (1896 – 1963)

39 Fine Ottoman Ceremonial Mace

40 A Large Finely Carved Cup Carrier of a Women with Child

41 A Very Fine Carved Relief of the Cruciﬁxion

42 A Finely Carved Lime Spatula

43 A Rare Ancestor Skull with Polychrome Decoration

Almost everything, if one keeps one’s eyes open, is potential material for painting Graham Sutherland

44 Graham Sutherland (British 1903 – 1980) Study for Undulating Form

45 An Unusual Polynesian Fighting Club

46 An Elegant Female Caryatid Stool or Cup Bearer

47 A Very Fine Rectangular Lacquer Box and Cover with Internal Tray

48 A Large and Fine Tiki Figure from a House Post Pataka

49 An Exceptional Eastern Cape Nguni Pipe Bowl and Stem

50 A Muscular Contorted Powerfully Portrayed Satyr

51 A Powerful Baule Mask

Not only does the bespattered and encrusted surface of Davie take on a positive richness, as of medieval jewellery or stained glass, but formal analogies appear… the froth of new buds or leaves seem to crystallise out of the swift, ragged calligraphy; there, flat blunt chinks of form resolve themselves into somewhat heraldic emblems of the human figure Patrick Heron writing about Alan Davie (1956)

52 Alan Davie (British 1920 – 2014) Structures for Saturn’s Day

53 A Rare Standing Stone / Slab / Marker with Triskele Low Relief Design

important Maori elder or chief to keep safe their precious objects, Hei Tiki’s (nephrite pendants) feathers (often from the huia bird and other artefacts which were precious to the chief, ancestors and tribe. Carved from a native hard wood, the box has terminals to each end with god-tiki heads, inlaid with haliotis (abalone) shell. A masterpiece of Maori carving with a beautiful deep rich patina.

Paul Feiler (British 1918 – 2013) Still Life with Fruit Oil on canvas 1949 s i z e: 43 cm high, 51 cm wide – 17 ins high, 20 ins wide Frame: 59.5 cm high, 66.5 cm deep – 23½ ins high, 26¼ ins wide p rov e na nc e: The estate of the Artist

A Finely Carved Polynesian Maori Feather Treasure Box and Cover With superb colour and patina Wood, haliotis (abalone) shell New Zealand Early 19th Century s i z e: 14 cm high, 51 cm wide, 18.5 cm deep – 5½ ins high, 20 ins wide, 7¼ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Alex Manoogian, USA (founder of Masco Corporation) Ex Private French collection Ex Alain SchoVel collection, Paris until 1994 Ex Private French collection Ex Yann Ferrandin Ex Private UK collection This ﬁnely carved wood treasure box would have belonged to an

and were discovered in 1743 on the Seychelles Island of Praslin by the Frenchman Barre. Described in the 1737 inventory of the Royal Danish Kunstkammer at Rosenberg Castle in Copenhagen as complete, rare and beautiful the coco de mer became a legendary curiosity. The source of many legends and mysteries, they have always been prized for their exotic, erotic and shapely beauty, and thought to be powerful aphrodisiacs. European sailors would ﬁnd them ﬂoating gracefully in the warm seas of the Indian Ocean and so named them Coco de Mer.

3 A Fine Specimen of a Seychelles Coco de Mer Of female form, with traditional dark brown colour and patina Indian Ocean 19th Century s i z e: 33 cm high, 28.5 cm wide, 16 cm deep – 13 ins high, 11¼ ins wide, 6¼ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection Coco de Mer come from a tall palm tree that is indigenous to the Seychelles Islands. They are the largest known seed in the world and take 8 to 10 years to ripen. The palm was erroneously called Lodoicea Maladivica by the botanist Rumphius after observing the double nuts ﬂoating around the Maldives Islands. In fact they are not related to the coconut palm, but to the Palmyrah of Sri Lanka,

A Rare Erotic SnuV Box Painted with a scene of a rosy cheeked Sailor, on a Paciﬁc Island, in an aroused state, offering for exchange with a seated female Islander a green silk or velvet ribbon in exchange for his advances, while she raises her red silk skirt and accepts the ribbon, her hair adorned with feathers and jewels hanging around her neck, his fellow shipmates in a small rowing boat nearby with their ship further out to sea Attributed to Raven Papier-Maché England Circa 1800 s i z e: 10 cm dia., 2.4 cm high – 4 ins dia., 1 ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Michael Graham-Stuart Ex Private collection

By the middle of the 19th century snuffing would no longer be a fashionable habit, but in 1800’s there was no sign that in only a few decades snuV taking would be replaced in polite society by the puYng of cigars and pipes, and by the new fad of cigarette smoking. Amongst the aristocracy, the habit flourished and King George III had snuV specially blended for him by the tobacconists Fribourg and Treyer which he bought by the pound. Thus the demand continued for beautiful boxes to contain the exotic powder. Lord Petersham, an avid collector of both snuV and boxes was said to have used a different box on every day of the year. Although erotic scenes on snuV boxes, usually hidden inside, often in secret compartments, tend to be of Europeans, both English and Continental, it is very rare, if not unique to find a snuV box displaying an erotic scene of a native Pacific Islander and a European, English sailor.

5 A Finely Carved Dan Mask Of exceptional form, colour and patina Wood, Fibre (braid) Ivory Coast Early 20th Century s i z e: 25 cm high – 10¾ ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Guy Montaibou collection, France Ex Galerie Flak, Paris, France Ex Private English collection The Dan Peoples of the Ivory Coast live in a forested region of West Africa and all of their masks, no matter how large or small, crude or ﬁne are invested with the powerful vitality and spirit of the forest. This vitality fosters the well

being of the community and their protection against harm. Performers wore these masks on public occasions for communal beneﬁt, a practice that was widespread until the 1960s. The variety of masks carved in this region was enormous, although they all have a frontal facial form. They are classed into male or female, unusual and deviant social categories and sometimes have a particular function ascribed to them such as warrior, dancer, debt collector, actor or singer, hunter or delinquent, by both the public and performers alike.

Springs, wells and rivers are of ﬁrst and enduring importance as a focal point of Celtic cult practice and ritual, and the human head, symbolic of divinity and a powerful Celtic motif, was always associated with sacred springs, wells and rivers. Made of stone, wood or metal, images of heads were used in making votive oVerings and dropped into the waters. Many objects of a cult nature have been recovered from springs, wells, lakes, pools, bogs and rivers, suggesting that they were regarded as a focus for veneration and healing.

A Celtic Stone Head with Staring Eyes Long Nose and Slit Mouth Limestone British 2nd Century bc – 1st Century a d s i z e: 26 cm high, 13 cm wide, 16 cm deep – 10¼ ins high, 5 ins wide, 6¼ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection, before 2000 Ex Important East Anglian estate Thence by descent c f: for similar facial features see: Ross, A., Pagan Celtic Britain, London, 1967, pl. 39a. and 91a.

The Celts regarded the source of a river as a natural sanctuary and an entrance to the otherworld. In Ireland, many rivers are named for goddesses, and Irish cult legends purport to the naming of the Boyne and the Shannon. The goddesses Boand and Sinann deﬁed the magic powers of the well of Segais and the well of Coelrind, and as a result the wells rose up in anger drowning the goddesses and turned into mighty rivers rushing down to the sea.

Pencil and ink wash on paper 1919 s i z e: 25.5 cm high, 20 cm wide – 10 ins high, 8 ins wide Frame: 52 cm high, 45.5 cm wide – 20½ ins high, 18 ins wide p rov e na nc e: Lilian Bomberg Fisher Fine Art Ltd., London

and important prestige items and were also carved for sale to European travellers and traders, soldiers and colonists who would purchase them as memento’s of Zulu land. The Baboon Master was most probably a gifted migrant Tsonga wood carver working in the colony of Natal at the end of the 19th century, and who developed a workshop carving staVs to meet a growing colonial commercial demand.

7 A Prestige Caryatid Stool Dark patina reﬂective of its use and age Wood, metal Tschokwe / Zombo, Congo Late 19th Century – Early 20th Century s i z e: 42 cm high – 16½ ins high p rov e na nc e: Collected in-situ before 1920 Galerie Bernard Dulon, Paris, France Ex Lucas Ratton, Paris, France Ex Private English collection In Congolese societies, including the Tschokwe or Zombo, the caryatid seat (or stool) is an attribute of prestige, belonging to a high ranking oYcial, chief or sorcerer. The male ﬁgure seated, supporting the seat with his head and hands, the legs and bulging belly, adorned with upholstery nails, valued for their rarity in the Congo. A few areas show indigenous repairs, testifying to the important ritual significance of this object, being repaired rather than discarded.

David Bomberg (British 1890 – 1957) The Players

e x h i b i t e d: 1985, David Bomberg: A Tribute to Lilian Bomberg, Fischer Fine Art Limited, London, cat. no.26 1988, David Bomberg: Works on Paper, Rex Irvin, Sydney, Australia, cat. no.5

10 9 A Rare and Extremely Fine South African Tsonga Prestige StaV by the Baboon Master Depicting a Zulu elder wearing a head-ring Superb silky reddish brown patina Wood Late 19th Century s i z e: 104 cm high – 41 ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Private Belgium collection These staVs were used by indigenous Zulu leaders as ceremonial

An Unusual and Rare English Memento Mori Carved Shrine with Two Human Skulls To the underside, a carved Dragonﬂy Marble England 16th / 17th Century s i z e: 36 cm high, 28 cm wide, 14 cm deep – 14¼ ins high, 11 ins wide, 5½ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private collection

14 cm deep – 10¼ ins high, 5¾ ins wide, 5½ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Michael Dollard, New York, USA John Stephens, circa 1986, London, UK Thence by descent Ex Private collection

An Extremely Fine Quality Lacquer Box and Cover with Internal Tray Depicting a mountainous landscape with bridges, fast ﬂowing rives, wooded landscape with lily-pad ﬁlled lagoons Lacquer, wood, gold Japan Meiji Period / Late 19th Century s i z e: 8 cm high, 22 cm wide, 18 cm deep – 3¼ ins high 8½ ins wide, 7 ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private UK collection

13 A Fine and Rare Shona Knife and Sheath Fine colour and patina Wood, steel, copper Zimabawe / Africa 19th Century s i z e: 42.5 cm long, 9 cm wide – 16¾ ins long, 3½ ins wide 48 cm long – 19 ins long (with scabbard) p rov e na nc e: Ex Christies 28th November 1983, lot 236 Ex Private collection

A Fine Gandharan Head of a Buddha Stucco with earth pigment Some old restoration to the nose Afghanistan 3rd Century a d s i z e: 26 cm high, 14.5 cm wide,

Axes and knives were preserved as heirlooms amongst the peoples of Southern Africa and transmitted from one generation to the next as important indicators of status. They also preserved and carried an aura of ancestral symbolism. It is very rare to ﬁnd ﬁgurative representations on a knife handle, indicating ownership by a high ranking oYcial or chief.

Bridget Riley (British born, 1931) 27th July 1987 Gouache on paper Signed and inscribed 1987 s i z e: 27.5 cm high, 31.5 cm wide – 10¾ ins high, 12½ ins wide Frame: 29 cm high, 33 cm wide – 11½ ins high, 13 ins wide p rov e na nc e: The Artist Donated by the artist to a charity auction in the 1980’s Collection of Lord Archer (acquired from the above) Ex Private London collection

15 A Songye Protective Fetish Figure Nkishi of Geometric Form The arms placed to the side, plug of fetish material in the head cavity a strip of old hide and fur around the waist

Old smooth crusted patination Wood, fur, material South Eastern Congo, Zaire 19th Century – Early 20th Century s i z e: 20 cm high – 8 ins high / 29.5 cm high, 11½ ins high (including stand) p rov e na nc e: Ex English Private collection Acquired 1950’s Ex Finch and Co, item number 76, catalogue 22, 2014 Ex Private collection c f: Kilengi, African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection C.D. Roy; University of Iowa, Exhibition in 2000, no’s 111, 114 and 115

such as chicken claws, teeth, stones, seeds, etc., as well as carved wooden ﬁgures. The Songye’s ritual use of calabash can be compared with the baskets used by the Tshokwe.

The face of this protective figure is typical of the strong angularity of Songye, carving. Amongst the Songye Nkishi were associated with a magico-religious society known as bukisi which controlled initiation camps and circumcision ceremonies. A shaman would ritually add magical substances bashimba to activate the figure as a source of power that would give protection and ensure wellbeing. Larger figures ensured the tranquillity of the whole community and promoted village fecundity and fertility. Smaller personal or family Nkishi were used for protection against illness, sorcery, witchcraft, and war and to promote fertility. Due to their considerable powers, the figures were considered dangerous and so they were manoeuvred by means of rods or sticks attached to their arms. They were sometimes made to walk as if on parade. These small half figures were not always used as personal protective devices, but were placed in gourd bowls and used by diviners to communicate with the supernatural world. These divinatory calabash were filled with a number of symbolic objects

Dame Lucie Rie (1902–1995) Squeezed Bowl Stoneware, white glaze, with iron ﬂecks, and feathered rim LR seal mark to base Circa 1950 s i z e: 10 cm high, 17.5 cm dia. (max) – 4 ins high, 7 ins dia. (max) p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection l i t e r at u r e: For a similar example see Lucie Rie Tony Banks, Martson House, 1987, pg. 140 c on di t ion r e p or t: excellent / perfect

17 A Carved Ebony Prestige StaV Depicting an Important Elder or Leader wearing a Head-Ring Isicoco His waistband neck-ring and eyes inlaid with brass studs, his hands carved to his sides, one holding a knobkerrie resting seated on a pillar, his mouth open to convey speech South African Tsonga / Zulu

Late 19th – Early 20th Century s i z e: 108 cm long – 42½ ins long p rov e na nc e: Ex Australian Private collection Ex Kevin Conru Ex Finch and Co, item number 71, catalogue number 29, 2017 Ex Private collection It was common practice for the chiefs among the Tsonga speaking groups at the end of the 19th century to commission long staVs surmounted by male heads wearing head-rings, as they were associated with the values of wisdom, age and maturity, rather than just marital status. The Zulu elder’s Isicoco or headring consisted of a ﬁbre or sinew circle into which the wearer’s own hair was woven and then covered with a mixture of gum, charcoal and oil.

A Rare Collection of Seven Slave or Prisoner Tokens Metal, coins Australia 19th Century s i z e: circular: 3.4 cm dia. – 1¼ ins diameter. (max) / 2.5 cm dia. – 1 ins dia. (min) cross: 5 cm high, 3 cm wide – 2 ins high, 1¼ ins wide heart: 3 cm high, 3 cm wide – 1¼ ins high, 1¼ ins wide

p rov e na nc e: Ex Private UK collection t i t l e d:Till I Am Free / Till Freed’om / Australia 1831 / Free all Slaves / Oer Land & Sea My Home London Always Be verso: George IV Dei Gratia 1826 / One Day Be My Liberty 1871 verso: If This is You See Think of Me and Till I am Free

Double ﬁgure spatulas are one of the rarest forms of representation in the Massim corpus. In 2014 Beran records only six examples in the corpus of published spatula. This rare example now brings the number up to seven.

Two Fine Kunstkammer Candlesticks Agate, glass, fire-gilt bonze mounts Dresden, Germany 17th Century s i z e: 16 cm high – 6¼ ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Kugel Galerie, Paris, France Ex Peter Tillou collection, USA Ex Private collection

19 Alfred Wallis (British 1855 – 1942) Four Sailing Boats and Pier Head Household paint and pencil on card c. 1930 s i z e: 17.5 cm high, 30 cm wide – 7 ins high, 11¾ ins wide Frame: 32 cm high, 43 cm wide – 12½ ins high, 17 ins wide p rov e na nc e: Waddington Galleries, London Collection of Hon. Mrs Thomas Hazleregg, UK (purchased from the above in c. 1965) Ex Private UK collection

A Superbly Carved Lime Spatula Representing Two Figures Wood (ebony) Northern (?) Massim, New Guinea 19th Century s i z e: 31 cm long – 12¼ ins long p rov e na nc e: Ex Anthony Meyer Gallery, Paris Ex Private UK collection

A Dervish’s Sword Stick Iron, steel and gold Turkey 19th Century s i z e: 58.5 cm long – 23 ins long p rov e na nc e: Ex Oliver Hoare, Cabinet of Curiosities Exhibition, June 2012 Ex Private UK collection

23 An Unusual Polynesian Fighting Club of Tapered Pole Form Decorated all over with a geometric design and glyph type motifs Dark glossy patina, excellent colour, retaining the original lug to the butt Wood Tonga Early 19th Century s i z e: 74.5 cm long – 29¼ ins long p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection On Tonga, the quality of a warriors weapon was a symbol of his rank. Chiefs often possessed finely finished and decorated war clubs that were symbolic of their social status. The favourite weapons of the Tongan warrior was the club and the spear. They were fierce fighters and highly respected for their bravery in battle even by the ferocious Fijians. The exquisite engraving of the clubs was originally achieved by using a shark’s tooth lashed with plaited coir sinnet binding into the end of a round wooden handle. Despite the extreme hardness of the wood, the engraver would quickly notch the designs until the decoration was complete. This form of surface decoration was made considerably easier post contact by the consignments of European iron nails, first brought to Tonga by Captain Cook.

24 Ben Nicholson (British 1894 – 1982) Ronco Ink and wash on board 1981 s i z e: 59 cm high, 64 cm wide – 23¼ ins high, 25¼ ins wide Frame: 67 cm high, 73 cm wide – 26½ ins high, 28¾ ins wide

Early 20th Century s i z e: 33 cm high – 13 ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex collection Dave Dhal, Oregon, USA Ex Private collection, Los Angeles, USA Ex Mark Eglinton Tribal Art, New York, USA Ex Private English collection

p rov e na nc e: Ex Waddington Galleries, London Ex Private collection

25 A Powerful Kongo Fetish Figure Wood, metal, cloth, nails, glass Areas of dark, black lacquered patina, worn through from use The cavity to the stomach now empty Kongo Peoples, Democratic Republic of Congo

Sacred medicines and divine protection are central to the belief of the Kongo peoples (Democratic Republic of Congo). The Kongo believe that the great god, Ne Kongo, brought the first sacred medicine (or nkisi) down from heaven in an earthenware vessel set upon three stones or termite mounds. A nkisi (plural: minkisi) which loosely translated as a spirit, is represented as a container of sacred substances which are activated by supernatural forces that can be summoned into the physical world. Visually, these minkisi can be as simple as pottery or vessels containing medicinal herbs and other elements determined to be beneficial in curing physical illness or alleviating social ills. In other instances, minkisi can be represented as small bundles, shells, and carved wooden figures. Minkisi represent the ability to both contain and release spiritual forces, which can have both positive and negative consequences on the community. Nkisi nkondi figures are highly recognisable through an accumulation of pegs, blades, nails, or other sharp objects inserted into its surface. Medicinal combinations called bilongo are sometimes stored in the head of the figure but frequently in the belly of the figure, which is shielded by a piece of glass, mirror, or other reflective surface (now missing). The glass represents the other world

inhabited by the spirits of the dead, who can peer through and see potential enemies. Elements with a variety of purposes are contained within the bilongo. Seeds may be inserted to tell a spirit to replicate itself; mpemba or white soil deposits found near cemeteries represent and enlist support from the spiritual realm. Claws may incite the spirits to grasp something, while stones may activate the spirits to pelt enemies or protect one from being pelted.

A Rare Double Roll of Pacific Santa Cruz, Red Feather Currency Tevau Plant fibre, bark strips, red bird feathers, small shells, glass beads Solomon Islands 19th Century s i z e: approx: 45 cm high, 80 cm wide, 6.5 cm deep – 17¾ ins high, 31½ ins wide, 2½ ins deep 61 cm high – 24 ins high (on stand) p rov e na nc e: Acquired directly in 1983 on Temotu Island from Joseph Olu, a local Elder / Chief, whose family had owned the tevau for generations Ex Private collection These remarkable forms of Pacific Island currency are made of elaborate coils of red feathers

taken from the scarlet honey-eater (Myzomela Cardinalis) and were the basis for a trading network between the neighbouring islands of the Solomons. In Polynesian societies the colour red was significant, it was the colour of the gods, used for the personal adornment of chiefs who believed they were the embodiment of the gods. The only source of a permanent bright red colour came from the feathers of certain birds and particularly brilliant red feathers are found on the scarlet honeyeater. Today, with modern life dominated by coins, banknotes, cheques and credit cards, it is diYcult to understand how societies could function without conventional money. However, alternative forms of currency were once widespread throughout the world. Routine daily transactions relied on barter; a fisherman would exchange a few fish with a farmer for some of his crop, but bartering systems don’t work when you want to buy in quantity or obtain something of exceptional value. Thus, in the Solomon Islands the precious rolls of red feathers acted like a pile of banknotes or a large cheque, enabling pigs to be purchased for a feast day, or for a wife to be bought, with the whole community recognising these exchanges as being of great and permanent value. As both metal ores and fossil coal deposits are not found in the Pacific a currency based on metal coins did not develop. Alternative currencies based on objects made from scarce natural resources that took a great deal of time and skill to make were developed, of which the Santa Cruz red feathers money is the most intricate and spectacular.

increasing revenue, and over time they became a lucrative source of government income.

27 A Very Rare Early British Sailors Walrus Ivory Teetotum Ball Numbered 1–32 on Faceted Sides with a Crowned Portrait Head of King Charles II The carved Arabic numbers save for the Roman Numeral VI Superb rich dark golden colour and patina 17th Century / circa 1660–1665 s i z e: 4.5 cm dia. – 1¾ ins dia. p rov e na nc e: Ex Private UK collection The portrait of King Charles II, crowned, appears to be a unique depiction on a Teetotal ball, which allows us to date with certainty to around just after the restoration of the monarch, around 1660–1665. Totum is Latin for the whole and therefore is used in reference to the whole stake in gambling. Teetotum balls act somewhat like spinning dice, but have faceted numbered sides so when thrown there is an equal chance of any number turning up, which is not the case with dice. Lotteries ﬁrst began to be an acceptable form of gambling in the reign of Elizabeth I. In 1568–69 the government needed to quickly raise a substantial sum of money for urgent repairs to the harbours and coastal fortiﬁcations of England in order to repel the threatened seaborne invasion from the Spanish. Successive Acts of Parliament then established lotteries as a legitimate means of

An Early Group of Four African Figures exhibited in New York, September 1935, the same year as Moma’s groundbreaking African Art Exhibition Two Baule Figures, a Ewe Figure and a Yoruba Figure Wood Ivory Coast / Togo / Ghana / Nigeria / Benin Late 19th Century – Early 20th Century s i z e: Baule: 66.5 cm high – 26¼ ins high / 72 cm high – 28¼ ins (with base) Baule: 31.5 cm high – 12½ ins high / 36.5 cm high – 14¼ ins high (with base) Ewe: 18.5 cm high – 7¼ ins high / 24.5 cm high – 9¾ ins high (with base) Yoruba: 18 cm high – 7 ins high –

23.5 cm high – 9¼ ins high (with base) p rov e na nc e: Ex Boris Lovet-Lorski (1894– 1973) artist / modernist sculptor Dawson’s Auctioneers, New Jersey USA, May 2001 Ex Private collection Ex Private English collection e x h i b i t e d: African Negro Art Stendahl Gallery, New York, USA l i t e r at u r e: published: African Negro Art Stendahl Gallery, New York, September 1935 with an introduction by Merle Armitage c f: Merle Armitage (1893 (Iowa) – March 15, 1975) was an American set designer, tour manager, theatre producer, opera producer, art collector, author, and book designer. Philadelphia Musuem of Art holds correspondence between Earl Stendahl to Merle Armitage, 1944–1947. no t e: 1935 was an important year in New York for African art. The groundbreaking African Negro Art, exhibition, was organised by New York’s Museum of Modern Art (Moma). One of the first exhibitions in the United States to display African sculptures as works of art. One can only presume the Stendahl Gallery wanted to coincide their own exhibition later that year, also called; African Negro Art showcasing private collections, together with a catalogue (priced at 25c’s) between September 20th to October 10th, 1935 sponsored by Louis Danz and Merle Armitage, who authored and designed the catalogue. Louis Danz, author and designer, worked closely with Merle Armitage throughout the 1930s and 40s. Baule sculpture is one of West Africa’s most significant art traditions which influenced many

20th century artists, notably Amedeo Modigliani. To western eyes, the essence of Baule style is a balanced asymmetry that excites while also suggesting stability and calm. The faces are tilted gently to one side whilst one eye is lower than the other, the hair is finely carved in zig zag ridges, and the downcast eyes together with the careful holding of their hands against their bodies all give a feeling of peaceful introspection. Baule figures are carved to represent two types of spirit: spirit spouses or mates in the other world or bush spirits who inhabit nature beyond the edge of human settlements. Both are similar in form and each type is referred to by the Baule as waka san, a person in the wood. Figural bush spirits are carved as intermediaries who may intervene in a person’s life to confer clairvoyance, enabling them to divine through trance dances. They are also used to localise troublesome spirits and in this instance the figures receive libations and develop an encrusted surface as have these examples. Sometimes these figures become important spirit helpers and are displayed near the diviner during a public performance.

In West Africa the Yoruba people have a rate of twin births four times that of anywhere else, and twins posed a diYcult problem for the Yoruba. They violated the normal pattern of things as women normally only give birth to one child at a time and twins were subject to a higher rate of infant mortality. Twins were expensive as there were two mouths to feed with special luxurious food, and this was given to them whether alive or dead. Twins also had the capacity to deliver unexpected good or bad fortune to their parents. The mothers of twins would not deny them anything in fear of this ill fortune, and could often be seen in the local market place singing and dancing and begging for money in order to be able to placate their oVspring. The Ewe are the largest ethnic group in Togo, with smaller groups in Ghana, Benin, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. They consider the birth of twins (called Venavi or Venovi) as a blessed omen. Both twins are treated fairly and equally, fed at the same time and wearing the same clothes until they reach puberty. In the instance of mortality of one twin, the parents would acquire a statuette to replace the deceased child. Often a doctor (fetishist) would be consulted to activate the ﬁgure’s magical virtues.

29 An Unusual and Small Celtic Stone Head With almond shaped eyes, a snub nose, and prominent moustache Worn smooth from centuries of devotion or immersion in a river bed (?) Stone / pebble British 2nd Century bc – 1st Century ad s i z e: 7 cm high, 4 cm wide, 4.5 cm deep – 2¾ ins high, 1½ ins wide, 1¾ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection, before 2000 Ex Important East Anglia estate Thence by descent

and as capable of independent being. Its inherent powers could protect against evil and were a source of magical power and protection. The Celtic reverence for the head laid the foundation for the Christian view of the head as the locus of the soul which is the reason why the heads of Christian Saints were often preserved as sacred relics.

The austere and abstract aesthetic portrayed by these ancient Celtic heads is both powerful and disconcerting. The minimal carving and the reduction of the heads features to essentially geometric forms shown in the expressionless lentoid eyes give the head a sense and feeling of modernism. The head may well represent a local deity and was probably intended for ritualistic purposes as part of the Celtic cult of the head. The veneration of the human head was rooted in the Celtic religious system, which regarded the head both as the seat of soul

Adrian Heath (British 1920 – 1992) Composition Oil on board Signed and dated verso 1976 s i z e: 21.5 cm high, 20 cm wide – 8½ ins high, 8 ins wide Frame: 50.5 cm high, 47.5 cm wide – 20 ins high, 18¾ ins wide p rov e na nc e: The estate of the Artist Ex Private collection

31 A Powerful Female Bakorozai Initiation Mask The brown patina testiﬁes to the ritual use and great age of this rare mask Wood Loma / Guerze-Kpelle, Liberia

Late 19th Century s i z e: 29 cm high – 11½ ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Dintenfass collection, USA Ex Lucas Ratton, Paris, France Ex Private English collection Called Bakorozai in the vernacular language of Liberia, the mask was sued during the initiation rite of the Poro which takes place every seven or ten years. During the initiation ceremonies young boys learn to become men, taking place in the forest sacred wood. In Liberia, the hierarchy of the Poro constitutes a real political, commercial and military structure. The masks of the Poro are endowed with great powers which enable them to watch over and protect the young initiates. This female Bakororzai mask is distinct from its masculine Bakorogui counterpart. The stretched almond shaped eyes are a sign of beauty and discretion while the open mouth indicates that the mask can speak when it appears.

Germany 16th Century s i z e: 23 cm high, 21 cm wide, 21 cm deep – 9 ins high, 8¼ ins wide, 8¼ ins deep / 33 cm high – 13 ins high (with base) p rov e na nc e: Ex Private German collection Ex Private UK collection

An Extremely Fine and Detailed Large Carved Wood Skull Signed in a cartouche – Dai Nihon Sentai Sukeyuki (Izumi Sukeyuki) 1838–1920 Boxwood Japan Meiji Period / Late 19th Century s i z e: 14 cm high, 14 cm wide, 12 cm deep – 5½ ins high, 5½ ins wide, 4¾ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private UK collection Ex Finch and Co Ex Private London collection p rov e na nc e: Ex Private collection (collected in the 1940’s) Ex Wayne Heathcote Gallery Ex Marcus Raccanello Ex Kevin Conru, Brussels, Belgium Ex Private English collection

A very large example of a Japanese, Meiji Period carved boxwood skull, displaying a superbly detailed anatomically correct model of a Human skull with a Snake entwined around and through the eye socket, and skull. The skull displays an amazing deep colour and superb patina.

Collected in the 1940’s, the mask was previously used during the most sacred and secretive ceremonies which had all but died out by the 1920’s. The ceremony performed by non-dancing participants was believed to have been conducted for the beneﬁt of Yams and Humans.

33 A Ceremonial Mask Wood Pentecost Island, Vanuatu Early 20th Century s i z e: 32 cm high, 11 cm wide, 7.5 cm deep – 12½ ins high, 4¼ ins wide, 3 ins deep

35 A Serene Vuvi Mask Wood, polychrome, pigment Gabon Early 20th Century s i z e: 28 cm high – 11 ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex collection Bertil and Eva Berg, Gothenburg, Sweden Ex Private English collection l i t e r at u r e: Exhibition catalogue, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Before Picasso African Art in Swedish Collections, 1988–1989

36 34 A Rare and Finely Carved Weser Renaissance Stone Head Stone

A Songye Male Power Figure Open aperture to the head and stomach Fine overall patina, loss to feet Democratic Republic of Congo 19th Century

p rov e na nc e: Personal gift from Lucy Rie to Peter Dingley (Peter Dingley Gallery) Ex Private English collection c on di t ion r e p or t: excellent / perfect

s i z e: 23 cm high – 9 ins high p rov e na nc e: The Michel Gaud collection Sothebys Important African Art: The Michel Gaud collection, London, 29th November 1993, lot 132 Ex Private collection

37 Dame Lucie Rie (1902–1995) Bottle Vase with Flaring Rim Stoneware, blue / white volcanic glaze LR seal mark to base Circa 1980 s i z e: 27.5 cm high, 14 cm wide, 12 cm deep – 10¾ ins high, 5½ ins wide, 4¾ ins deep

s i z e: 62 cm long – 24½ ins long p rov e na nc e: Ex Oliver Hoare, Cabinet of Curiosities Exhibition, June 2012 Ex Private UK collection

38 A Very Fine Carved StaV by Sikiré Kambiré (1896–1963) Fine colour and patina Wood Lobi, Burkina Faso Early 20th Century s i z e: 104 cm high – 40¾ ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Private French collection Ex Lucas Ratton, Paris, France Ex Private English collection This type of staV known as Bober were used by the elders of the Lobi peoples, both supporting the spirit and allowing the transition from one world to another. However, with the passing of time these staVs lost their importance for social and religious purposes. Further examples of Kambiré’s work can be found; Afrique Noire, Michel Leiris, Jacqueline Delange, nrf Gallimard Editions, 1967, pg. 280, no. 316, Lobi. Crosse se portant sur l’épaule (sic) documentation iconographique, pg. 418, no. 316,

39 Fine Ceremonial Mace Steel with gold Turkey 19th Century

40 A Large Finely Carved Cup Carrier of a Women with Child Superb colour and rich patina Wood Tschokwe, Democratic Republic of Congo Early 20th Century s i z e: 42 cm high – 16½ ins high p rov e na nc e: Old French collection Ex Lucas Ratton, Paris, France Ex Private English collection A rare sculpture, possibly unique in this rendition. Symbolic of Motherhood this beautiful Tschokwe cup carrier is an important part of the cannon of African Art. The child is carved on the central part of the statue, protected by his mothers arms. The facial features are exemplary

examples of the great sculptors of this ethnic group. Mother and Child ﬁgures are relatively rare in Tschokwe art.

41 A Very Fine Carved Relief of the Cruciﬁxion Alabaster Nottingham, Midlands, England Circa 1450–1470 s i z e: 49.5 cm high, 26.5 cm wide, 5 cm deep – 19½ ins high, 10½ ins wide, 2 ins deep Wood Panel: 64 cm high, 26.5 cm wide, 5.5 cm deep – 22 ins high, 10½ ins wide, 2¼ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private collection Ex Sam Fogg Gallery Ex Private collection In the Middle Ages, the most common images in Christian devotional contexts were those which took as their focus the Passion of Christ. It is a narrative

described in all four of the Gospel accounts, but its various details were embellished markedly over the course of the Middle Ages with the arrival of hagiographic biographies, mystery plays, treatises, and apocryphal accounts. Front and centre in the Passion narrative is the scene of Christ’s Crucifixion. In the years around 1400, English alabaster carvers treated the subject with purity and restraint, producing images pared back to the most essential details. However, as the decades wore on their successors increasingly packed and layered their visions of the scene with figures who jostle for space and engage in a cacophonous rabble of actions and gestures. On this large relief, which originally functioned as the central image in a larger Passion altarpiece, the figure of the crucified Christ is joined by no fewer than fifteen further characters, all of whom occupy a fluid spatial realm organised and arranged to frame his body to the left and right, while groups comprising the Roman legionaries and the various Maries and St John, mirror one another at the foot of the cross. Angels fly from every direction to catch Christ’s blood as it flows from his wounds. Of the more than one-hundred English alabaster reliefs depicting the Crucifixion thought to have survived from the medieval period, ours is apparently unique for its treatment of the figure of the Virgin, who swoons at the lower left corner of the scene with her head lolling violently back on her shoulders and her arms describing hard right angles in the air. No others show her collapsing in this manner, suggesting that our sculptor was acutely focused on conveying her grief at the death of her son.

42 A Finely Carved Lime Spatula by an Unknown Master Carver Depicting a possibly unique Mother and Child (?) or Male and Female (?) Wood ebony with lime inﬁll Massim Area, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia 19th Century s i z e: 32.5 cm high – 12¾ ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Emil Storrer, 1950–60, Zurich Switzerland Thence by descent Ex Anthony Meyer Gallery, Paris Ex Private UK collection

43 A Rare Ancestor Skull with Polychrome Decoration Human Skull, pigment Central Island Andaman Islands 19th Century or earlier s i z e: 15 cm high, 13 cm wide, 18 cm deep – 5¾ ins high, 5 ins wide, 7 ins deep p rov e na nc e: Acquired by a British OYcer from a funerary cave in 1881 Acquired by Carl von Borg, Cologne, in 1927 (no. A210) Ex Finch and Co, circa 2012 Ex Martin Doustar, Paris, France Ex Private collection p u b l i s h e d: Golgotha, The Cult of Skulls, M Doustar, Cassochrome, 2014, pg. 180, item no. 36

The Andaman Islands are an archipelago of around two hundred islands which are in the eastern Bay of Bengal. Anthropologists believe these islands have been inhabited for several thousand years at least, with the very earliest settlers dating back to the Palaeolithic era. According to the Out of Africa hypothesis, the Andamanese people are thought to be the ﬁrst groups of modern humans (Homo Sapiens) who migrated out of the African continent, 100,000 to 50,000 bc . As with other indigenous people from ancient tribal societies, the Andamanese practiced the cult of the ancestor. The skulls were often painted with lines, dots, or stripes and worn as adornment around the neck, as a sign of mourning and future protection against disease and pain.

44 Graham Sutherland (British 1903 – 1980) Study for Undulating Form Pen, black ink and pencil on paper Signed with initials and dated 1972 / 73 s i z e: 43 cm high, 30.5 cm

wide – 17 ins high, 12 ins wide Frame: 67.5 cm high, 53 cm wide – 26½ ins high, 21 ins wide p rov e na nc e: Bernard Jacobson, London Ex Private collection

45 An Unusual Polynesian Fighting Club With a superb geometric upper section and unusual spiral twist grip Dark glossy patina and excellent colour, with a lug to the butt and old paper label to the top Wood Tonga Early 19th Century s i z e: 77.5 cm long – 30½ ins long p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection It was the simple iron nail which, came into the hands of Tongan craftsmen by trade with Cooks ships in 1773 that brought about a remarkable change in the surface decoration of the traditional clubs. Instead of the partial engraving normally employed, post contact clubs had much more elaborate decoration and were sometimes inlaid. By the end of the 18th century European tools had thus begun to supersede the traditional ones made of stone, bone or shark’s teeth.

46 An Elegant Female Caryatid Stool / Cup Bearer Beautiful black patina Wood Luba, Democratic Republic of Congo Early 20th century s i z e: 44 cm high – 17⅓ ins high p rov e na nc e: Formerly in a Private Belgium collection Ex Lucas Ratton, Paris, France Ex Private English collection l i t e r at u r e: published; Série Noire Galerie Ratton, Paris, France, pg 60–61 Representing a Luba cup bearer, the torso, sensitively carved with traditional scariﬁcations, with further scariﬁcations to the cheeks and forehead. The jewels adorning the female neck would suggest she had great importance within the tribe.

47 A Very Fine Rectangular Lacquer Box and Cover with Internal Tray The lid depicting a large Carp

breaking through the water surface Lacquer, gold, mother-of-pearl, silver Japan Meiji period / Late 19th Century s i z e: 4.5 cm high, 11.5 cm wide, 9.5 cm deep – 1¾ ins high, 4½ ins wide, 3¾ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private UK collection

Koi nishikigoi is an informal name for the coloured variants of carp kept for their ornamental enjoyment and appreciation. There are many varieties of ornamental koi, originating from the breeding that began in Niigata, Japan in the early 19th century. The silver plaque depicting the Koi breaking the water, for the owner of the box to be reminded of the serenity of this majestic ﬁsh. Signed to the lower right hand side.

48 A Large and Fine Tiki Figure from a House Post Pataka The ﬁgure carved all over with tattoo designs, the eyes inlaid with shell Wood, halitosis shell (abalone shell) Maori / New Zealand 19th Century s i z e: 49 cm high – 19¼ ins high p rov e na nc e: Ex Private collection

Ex Kevin Conru Ex Private English collection The custom of wearing deep facial tattoo, Moko, had a strong inﬂuence on the surface designs of Maori woodcarving. The head was carved as very large in proportion to the body, stressing its symbolic importance, and that it was more tapu. The powerful expression of the tattooed face evokes the preserved heads of ancestral chiefs. In 1805, John Savage, a surgeon, was in the Bay of Islands. He records tattoo as a class maker: This society is divided into classes, each distinguished by devices variously tattooed on their faces and persons. (Savage 1807:20) The Maori method of tattooing was painful and of great signiﬁcance. It was usually carried out in a

temporary shelter erected in an area declared tapu. A variety of chisels were used, often made with elaborately carved bone handles, and having a cutting edge up to a centimetre or more in width. The design was traced and the chisel dipped into a mixture of soot and plant juice. The prepared chisel was then placed in position and the cutting edge driven through the skin with a sharp blow on the back of the instrument. Tattoo designs varied from region to region and represented more than just personal adornment, showing both the lineage, status and military honours of the wearer. Pataka were primarily used as food stores, but were also used to safeguard the rare and valued possessions of the Chief. DiVering regionally in size and type, they ranked with superior carved houses as the most important structures in a Maori village. The food would be kept inside from the ravages of vermin and from pollution by unauthorised hands. Taboos relating to the possessions and the food of men of high rank were scrupulously maintained with the help of the pataka by the whole community. The 19th century artist George French Angas painted a pataka at Te Rapa on the shores of Lake Taupo, displaying a small pinnacle ﬁgure on the central gable of the small raised structure very similar to this example. He stated that the main use of the storehouse was to give protection to the food especially put aside for chiefs and apart from that eaten by slaves and women. These pinnacle Tiki or gable peak ﬁgures are best viewed from below at an angle of around 45 degrees. The Maori craftsmen were well aware of this subtle perspective and cleverly worked with the optical requirements of architectural space and form.

festivals, processions and sacred drama. As the god of fertile nature he is depicted on wine cups holding a vine branch while a horse tailed satyr pipes to him on a double ﬂute.

An Exceptional Eastern Cape Nguni Pipe Bowl and Stem Wood, metal Old inscription and dated: 1892 South Africa 19th Century s i z e: 45.5 cm long – 18 ins long p rov e na nc e: Taylor A Dale, Sante Fe Ex Private collection Ex Private Continental collection p u b l i s h e d:The Art of Southeast Africa, 5 Continents, Milano, Italy, 2002 c f: It has been suggested, that the inscription: Matabele S.A 1892 indicates the piece was traded to the northern region in the 19th century and / or that the label was written on return in error.

51 A Powerful Baule Mask With rich dark lacquered black patina, excellent colour with areas of kaolin Wood Ivory Coast Early 20th Century

50 A Muscular Contorted Powerfully Portrayed Satyr The beared ﬁgure with long ﬂowing locks of hair and long beard, gazing downwards, the torso twisted with one arm raised, the other tightly by the side Marble Italy 1st – 2nd Century ad s i z e: 22 cm high – 8¾ ins high / 38.5 cm high – 15¼ ins high (with marble base) p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection Satyrs were the followers and servants of the god Bacchus, the Greek god Dionysos. They are the spirits of the wild mountains and valleys, and are portrayed

in ancient mythology as bestial in their desires and behaviour. Consequently they were given the bodies of horses or goats with human heads having horselike ears or horns. Dionysos was a popular deity, and like Bacchus, was the potent god of wine, vegetation and ecstasy. His early wildness and his worship as the great remover of inhibitions was gradually tamed by the development of seasonable

s i z e: 32.5 cm high – 12¾ ins high p rov e na nc e: Formerly in a Private Dutch collection Ex Lucas Ratton, Paris, France Ex Private English collection A powerful carved elongated mask with a tender prominent open mouth revealing teeth. Scarification marks on each cheek, enhance the sensitively carved long nose; downcast pierced eyes below arching eyebrows. All beneath an elaborate ridged coiVure divided into three lobes painted in black. The whole mask has a very fine patina. Baule sculpture is one of West Africa’s most significant art traditions. To western eyes, the essence of Baule style is a balanced asymmetry that excites while also suggesting stability and calm. Known for their stylisation, detail and remarkably refined features, these finely carved face masks are of a type that appears in village masquerades for recreational entertainment called Mblo. These dances and scripted performances are the cultural equivalent to western opera or film noire. Everyone can see them and enjoy the communal event. Between performances the masks were kept out of sight carefully wrapped in bark cloth and hung from the thatch of their dancers’, sleeping rooms. Many of these masks were brought to Europe in the early 20th century where they were often bought and collected by artists upon whose work they had great influence. For example Modigliani was directly influenced, and Picasso had a Baule / Yaure mask in his studio at Villa La Californie, now in the Musée Picasso in Paris.

52 Alan Davie (British 1920–2014) Structures for Saturn’s Day Gouache 1995 s i z e: 68.5 cm x 55.5 cm – 27 ins x 21¾ ins Frame: 73 cm high x 87.5 cm – 28¾ ins x 34½ ins note: this painting can be hung vertically or horizontally p rov e na nc e: The Estate of the Artist Ex Private collection

53 A Rare Standing Stone / Slab / Marker with Triskele Low Relief Design Sandstone Late Celtic – Early Christian 7th – 8th Century a d s i z e: 62 cm high, 28 cm wide, 19 cm deep – 24½ ins high, 11 ins wide, 7½ ins deep p rov e na nc e: Ex Private English collection The simplest form of early Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Pictish Christian monument is the cross marked stone and it is said to have originated in British and Irish missionary work amongst the Northern British in the 6th and 7th centuries. In the Life of St Columba by Adomnán there is a

story of how one of the earliest of these crosses was made by the saint himself when he marked the gates of the hilltop fortress near Loch Ness, the northern base of the powerful pagan Pictish King Bridei, with the sign of the Lord’s cross in order to gain entry and secure his co-operation in allowing a start to be made in the conversion of his people. Sometimes referred to as a prayer-cross these symbol incised stone slabs were a basic aid for instruction and devotion. They could also aVord protection at the entrance of a building and when stood erect the stone slab marked the ground upon which it stood as sacred, whether on a grave or communal funerary ground or in an enclosed devotional space. The art of the cross marked stone slab in Britain is part of a common cultural package brought by Christianity to these shores and the displaying of these early symbolic stones was a token of the acceptance by the AngloSaxons, Celts and Picts of the Christian faith.

Design by Prof. Phil Cleaver & Anna Papini of etal-design, etal@etal-design.com Photography by Phil Connor, phillip_connor@icloud.com Endpapers © Marta Gussetti, contact@ﬁnch-and-co.co.uk Printed and bound in Great Britain by Pureprint © 2024 Finch Co i s b n 978-1-912930-61-6 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the permission in writing of the publisher.