GothamGallery Very Fine Zaire Chokwe Figural Pestal Start Price USD 3,800.00 Current Price USD 3,800.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, October 25, 2008 End Time Monday, November 24, 2008 Location Brooklyn, New York See more about 'GothamGallery Very Fine Zaire Chokwe Figural Pestal' Description   Offering the Finest Quality Sub-Saharan African Art   African Zaire Chokwe Figural Pestal   Measurement:        Height: 40.5 Width: 2.5 Depth: 2.5 Inches Measurement:        Height: 103 Width: 6.5 Depth: 6.5 Centimeters                               Measurement Sculpture OnlyMaterial:                Wood Estimated Age:       Early 20th Century Condition:             Very Good Remarks:               Wonderful utilitarian art figural finial rich dark brown patina Shipping:               US East Coast - Estimated $35.00                               Exact rate use shipping calculator INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS WELCOME   CONDITION Worn areas, numerous deliberate hack mark on pestal body, legs of figure repaired, small chips, overall condition very good. Thank you and please view my other items. DESCRIPTION Wonderful art from tribal tool, long pestal from the Chokwe people with figure atop, female figure with traditional geometric scarifications on forehead, elaborate coiffure, round belt at waist, standing position with legs slightly bent, cylindrical pestal body worn rounded tip, rich dark brown patina. BACKGROUND The Chokwe, a matrilineal Bantu population, originally lived in the Serra de Muzamba, in central Angola. Particularly renowned for their fine sculpture, the Chokwe owe the refinement and wealth of their art to a very stable society and a very sophisticated court culture. They strongly influenced the art of neighboring ethnic groups. From the fifteenth century up to the middle of the nineteenth, the Chokwe lived in independent chiefdoms ruled by a monarch of divine right. Realism and attention to detail characterize these sculpted representations that one finds on chairs, combs, snuff mortars, scepters and pipes. Chokwe figurative art includes a considerable series of ancestor figures. The majority are representations of Tshibinda Ilunga or of deceased leaders (Mwanangana). Other sculptures evoke women, and are sometimes kept in memory of the female anonymous ancestor who also inspired the figure of the PWO mask. Most of these female figures recall the woman's important position: wife, mother or sister of a monarch, and pay devotion to a domestic cult. It is not in the facial expression that the woman is evoked, but rather by the combination of scarifications and details of the coiffure. This last-mentioned item appears to have most often been the principal element in iconographic identification. A custom base is included with this piece. It is important to properly exhibit a beautiful piece of art. The splendor of the piece cannot be fully revealed without a correct display. Custom bases can cost a minimum of thirty and up to several hundred dollars depending on its complexity and size. It is very difficult to locate a good stand maker regardless of price, but fortunately this piece will be appropriately displayed and ready for you and your guests’ enjoyment. Painter Fred Uhlman words - Most of the artists I admired, Picasso, Modigliani, Deraini, to mention only a few, had collected African art and had been profoundly influenced by it. Shortly afterwards I bought the Baule Fetish and the Baule bobbin which are still two of the finest pieces in my collection. It is easy to see why I bought them and why from that moment I have never stopped collecting. The head of the bobbin or heddle - pulley which is after all only a functional object for the purpose of weaving seemed to me then and today as beautiful as a Greek goddess. The fetish moved me as deeply as the bobbin by its silent tragic dignity and its air of profound meditation. GUARANTEEAUTHENTICITY AND CONDITION OF ITEMS ARE GUARANTEE TO THEIR DESCRIPTION. IF THE ITEM IS FOUND TO BE NOT AS DESCRIBED OR PICTURED, FULL REIMBURSEMENT OF THE WINNING BID AMOUNT AND SHIPPING CHARGE WILL BE GIVEN.QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL WITH ANY QUESTIONS, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, OR MORE DETAIL PICTURES. EMAIL:GOTHAMGALLERY@AOL.COMSHIPPINGSHIPPING VIA USPS PRIORITY MAIL UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COST PLEASE INQUIRE.PAYMENTPAYMENT ACCEPTED, PAYPAL, MONEY ORDER, CERTIFIED CHECK, PERSONAL CHECK 5 TO 7 DAYS TO CLEAR. OTHER FORMS OF PAYMENT PLEASE INQUIRE FIRST. Please click and check store items GothamGallery Fine African Art 　 PLEASE NOTE GOTHAMGALLERY DOES NOT SEND SECOND CHANCE OFFER COMMUNICATION WILL BE VIA ebay SYSTEM ONLY PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF SCAMS Place a Bid!