KANAK SCULPTURE

TYPOLOGY SOMETIMES CALLED “CHILD IN CRADLE”

New Caledonia

Carved in a hardwood, probably houp (Montrouziera cauliflora), an endemic species of New Caledonia venerated by the population. Height: 34.5 cm, width: about 13 cm.

Estimated date : 19 th century.

COLLECTION HISTORY REPORTED TO US :

Sculpture acquired in New Caledonia by French family stationed in Nouméa around 1890. Friends of Pierre Paul Famin, Major General (1855-1922) and close friends of Adolphe Unger, appearing in the photos of the family album (1857-1935), Transferred and then sold by heirs, France, Private collection, France.

A testimony to one of the rarest corpus of sculpture in Kanak Art, this piece is distinguished by its very fine plastic qualities. The remarkable tension of the forms, highlighted by the deep brown-red patina of the wood, concentrates the power of the figure which, emerging in high relief from an oblong frame, offers a striking contrast between the relative size of the work and the monumentality of the figure. The feeling in front of the facial features, a subtle mixture of almost candid restraint and expressionism, is striking.

The meaning of these sculptures has been interpreted differently since the beginning of the 20th century and remains uncertain to this day. However, research focuses on a reference to an ancestral spirit invoked during funeral ceremonies.

Komen Uba

JAPON

Komen se traduit par « Vieux masque », Uba incarne une femme agée. Les Komen étaient utilisés lors de rites ou danses folkloriques qui avaient généralement lieu dans un temple ou un sanctuaire. Beaucoup de personnages dont Uba, mais pas tous, existent aussi dans les théâtres traditionnels du Noh et/ou du Kyogen.

Bois, pigments. Hauteur : 20 cm. Datation estimée : première partie de l’ère Edo, 17e – 18e siècles.

Komen Uba

JAPAN

Komen translates as “Old Mask”, Uba portrays an old woman. Komen were used during folk rites or dances that usually took place in a temple or shrine. Many characters including Uba, but not all, also appear in the traditional theaters of Noh and/or Kyogen.

Wood, pigments. Height : 20 cm. Estimated date : early Edo period, 17th - 18th centuries.

MASSUE À DEUX MAINS ‘AKAU ’ ÎLES TONGA, POLYNÉSIE OCCIDENTALE

Bois dur, probablement du casuarina equisetifolia (Filao ou pin australien, surnommé « bois de fer ») à profonde patine d’usage. Longueur : 101 cm.

Datation estimée : 19e siècle.

‘AKAU’ TWO-HANDED CLUB

TONGA ISLANDS, WESTERN POLYNESIA

Hardwood, probably casuarina equisetifolia (Filao or Australian pine, nicknamed “ironwood”) with deep patina of use. Length : 101 cm.

Estimated date : 19 th century.

SCULPTURE À POUVOIR NKISI, KONGO

R Publique D Mocratique Du Kongo

Bois sculpté à profonde patine brune ; verre, miroir, résine, pointes de clous. Hauteur : 27,5 cm. Datation estimée : 19e siècle.

HISTOIRE DE COLLECTION TRANSMIS : Collection Allan Stone, NYC, USA, acquise avant 1992, Collection particulière, acquise en 2013, Collection particulière, sud de la France, acquise en 2018.

EXPOSITION : Allan Stone Gallery, New York, Fetishism, 2 mars au 8 mai 1992.

A NKISI POWER FIGURE, KONGO

Democratic Republic Of Congo

Carved wood with a deep brown patina ; glass, mirror, resin, nail tips. Height : 27,5 cm. Estimated date : 19 th century.

COLLECTION HISTORY REPORTED TO US : Allan Stone collection, NYC, USA, acquired before 1992, Private collection, acquired in 2013, Private collection, South of France, acquired in 2018.

EXHIBITION : Allan Stone Gallery, New York, Fetishism, March 2 -May 8, 1992.