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Rue Américaine, 26-28

1060 Brussels

Office and depot Ruisbroeck Galerij 5

Galerie de Ruysbroeck 5

1000 Brussels info@native-auctions.com

T +32 (0) 2 514 04 42

Nicolas Paszukiewicz n.paszukiewicz@native-auctions.com

Sébastien Hauwaert s.hauwaert@native-auctions.com

Gilles Marquenie g.marquenie@native-auctions.com

Tribal Art, Modern Art and 20th Century Furniture

30 January 2024 - Brussels

Auction

30 January 2024

19.00

Preview

25 - 29 January 2024

10.00 - 18.00

30 January 2024

10.00 - 16.00

Collection of Madame de Saint Hilaire

As a youth, Michelle Saint Hilaire developed a fascination for African art that made her a privileged witness of the ever-growing interest in African art throughout Europe and especially in France during the second half of the twentieth century. At that time Paris - with its famous dealers specialized in African art, and the advent later on of museums like the Fondation Dapper or the Quai Branly - was the perfect place to be to satisfy any hunger or curiosity for non-European culture. Needless to say, Michelle Saint Hilaire was an avid visitor of all the places and events that were made available to her that way.

Long before daring to cross the threshold of the big Parisian galleries specializing in African art, she was a familiar face in the Quartier Latin, admiring the works the dealers had on display in their windows. Unrelentingly reading, studying, and visiting exhibitions, she took her sweet time to learn about African culture in all its richness and diversity before starting to collect herself. From the mid-1970s on, she would regularly buy pieces from the likes of Pierre Vérité, Jean Roudillon, or Guy Montbarbon a.o.

After a lifelong love for African art, Michelle Saint Hilaire, at the age of 92, has decided to part with some of her preciously collected pieces, hoping to pass on her passion to younger generations. We are honored to have been entrusted with sharing her passion with you.

Ivory Coast Wood, 32 cm

Provenance:

Pierre Vérité Collection, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 1500 - 2000

Certificate with photograph by Claude Vérité.

Ivory Coast Wood and cowries, 33,5 cm

Provenance: Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 1500 - 2000

Ivory

Provenance:

Pierre Vérité Collection, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 2000 - 3000

Certificate with photograph by Claude Vérité, dated April 2012

004 Baule Figure

Ivory Coast Wood, 50 cm

Provenance:

Pierre Vérité Collection, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 12 000 - 18 000

Certificate with photograph by Claude Vérité, dated 3 February 2000

The style of this sculpture allows us to attribute it to the so-called Ascher Master. It can be compared to two sculptures of a seated figure by the Asher Master in the publication by Bernard De Grunne on Baule sculpture (Brussels, 2016), catalog numbers 5 and 6. The soft facial features, with almond-shaped bulbous eyes and delicate rendering of the hairdo, are typical for the works by this artist.

This style of sculpture was first recognized in the Baule figure that belonged to Ernst Ascher (1888-1979). Asher started as an artist, but around 1915 he started dealing in African art in Paris, and besides being an important collector, he became a much respected and appreciated actor in the African art market. Between the two World Wars, he owned a gallery on the corner of Rue des Beaux-Arts and Rue de Seine. He was also the owner of several objects included in the legendary “Exposition d'art Africain et d'art Oceanien” at Galerie Pigalle in 1930.

Wood and beads, 29,5 cm

Provenance: Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 2000 - 3000

Burkina

Provenance: Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 3000 - 4000

Notwithstanding its average size, this sculpture by the highly praised 20th-century Lobi sculptor and diviner Tyohèpté Palé strikes us by its monumentality. The exaggeratedly big and downcast eyes, so typical for the artist, seem to refer to an ability to see further than this mortal realm, and its dignified attitude conveys a purposeful solemnity.

007 Ligbi Heddle Pulley

Ivory Coast

Wood, 16,5 cm

Provenance:

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 1000 - 1500

008 . Guro Heddle Pulley

Ivory Coast

Wood, 23,5 cm

Provenance:

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 2000 - 3000

009 . Senufo Mask

Ivory Coast Wood, 32,5 cm

Provenance:

Pierre Vérité Collection until 1992, Paris Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 3000 - 4000

Accompanied by a certificate with a photograph by Claude Vérité, dated April 1995.

Seen in profile, the line running from the eyes over the cheeks to the exaggeratedly pronounced mouth is in the shape of a comma, allowing us to attribute this mask to the Master of the convex face. A mask by this master belongs to the collection of the Museum Rietberg in Zurich (provenance Roger Bediat collection, before 1939).

Surmounted by a seated figure and with elaborately carved scarification marks, this old mask is exceptionally refined, betraying the extraordinary artistry of this master.

010 Baule Figure

Ivory Coast

Wood, beads, and fabric, 72 cm

Provenance:

Pierre Vérité Collection, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 5000 - 7000

Accompanied by a certificate with a photograph by Claude Vérité, dated April 1995 Elegant standing Baule female figure with closed eyes and hands resting on the abdomen, conveying a tranquil and meditative attitude. The fluid symmetrical composition reflects the ideal of beauty that is typical for this type of statue called asye usu, a seat for the wild forest spirits.

These sculptures were used by Baule diviners as an intermediary with the spirit world. During ceremonies, diviners applied kaolin to their eyes and lips, enabling them to communicate with the spirits when in trance. In this sculpture, this application of kaolin can also be found around the eyes, in analogy with the ritual during which it was used.

011 Tsogho Reliquary

Mbumba bwiti

Gabon

Wood, vegetal fibers, and metal, 25 cm

Provenance:

Supposedly André Fourquet Collection, Paris

Christie's, London, Important Tribal Art, 17 June 1980, lot 269

Guy Montbarbon, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 8000 - 12 000

Certificate with a photograph by Guy Montbarbon

012 Ci Wara, Bamana

Mali

Wood and beads, 40 cm

Provenance:

Pierre and Claude Vérité Collection, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 2000 - 3000

Ivory Coast Wood and traces of kaolin, 41 cm

Provenance:

Guy Montbarbon, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 2000 - 3000

Certificate with a photograph by Guy Montbarbon

D.R. Congo Wood and pigment, 36 cm

Provenance: Guy Montbarbon, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 2000 - 3000

Certificate with a photograph by Guy Montbarbon

015 Baule Seated Chief's Figure

Ivory Coast

Wood and fabric, 72 cm

Provenance:

Pierre Vérité Collection, Paris

Michelle Saint Hilaire Collection, Paris

€ 15 000 - 20 000

Certificate with a photograph by Claude Vérité, dated April 1995

The image of a seated figure is usually linked to persons of high importance. Whether it be a pharaoh, a king, or a chief, the person depicted on a seat inspires respect and reverence. In African art, the chief would be seated when making important decisions, and when speaking justice. Combined with the cult of the ancestors, sculptures like the one presented here refer to a highly respected chief, acting as an inspiration for the present leaders, and assuring the unbreakable connection between the living and the dead over generations.

Among the Baoulé, physical beauty was linked to moral qualities, and the sculptor of the piece presented here took great care in conveying this quality through the delicate rendering of the facial features.

The important size and scarification marks further enhance the aura of status, importance, and moral excellence.