This year, Anansi Education will hold its first annual San Diego auction! Here is a list of the very special items that will be available at the live auction portion of the event on September 20th. There will also be additional items priced for direct sale, and some silent auction items.
Please join us on September 20th at 4:30 PM, at the FEMX Event Center in San Diego, CA.
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Beaded Cat 13” long x 7” tall Estimated Value $350.00
This contemporary carved cat covered in seed beads combines two traditional art forms into a new one. The elegant slinking form with bright beads over much of the surface is a beautiful success.
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Ashanti Ancestor Worship Figure Pair Estimated Value $850.00
Male: 13.5” x 3.5”
Female: 12.5”x 3”
These two striking male and female figures are old examples of a traditional custom where figures are carved to honor one’s ancestors. They are carved to act as conduits between the physical and spiritual realms. The specifics of their facial features and body scarification indicate they derive from the Akan people. These two come from the personal collection of our founder, Kathryn Roe.
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Necklace: Red, brass and Cream bead Necklace with brass lizard hand crafted by Northwest Artist Stephanie Roe.
Focal disc shell donated by Milt and Judy Krieger.
Neck opening 24.75” with Drop from Neck front 7.5”
Estimated Value: $275.00
This beautiful necklace is constructed of red and ivory colored beads, interspersed with traditional brass beads to feature a large disc on which a brass lizard climbs. It is both technically and aesthetically elegant.
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Yellow Baule Mask 19.5” x 10” Estimated Value: $650.00
This incredible Baule mask shows all the most prized attributes of the female with a small mouth, elegant coiffure and appropriate scarification demonstrating tribal affiliation. The indication of the beard is thought to speak to the belief that the female too could attain the same wisdom as men and achieve status therein. This mask tells an additional story. It was carved in commemoration of the first female accomplished masker of the Baule people in Cote d’Ivoir. Upon her untimely death at age 16, her father requested this specific mask to commemorate the life of his daughter. The mask is always depicted with a yellow face and exceptionally beautiful form
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Nigerian Water Pots in Travel Baskets 19”x 17.5” Pot in presentation ring 18”x 16.5” As seen at the Art Institute in Chicago Estimated Value: $1800.00
These two large clay pots, from the collection of Milt and Judy Krieger, were collected in Cameroon during the later part of the 20th century. Used to store water, the thick clay would keep the water cool. They are a matched pair differing only in their surface design. Each has a woven basket for their storage or transport as well as a presentation ring. One was damaged and has been repaired. Form and function here combine into beautiful objects of art.
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Crocodile Oware Game 30.75”x 10.5” x 8.5″ high
Estimate Value: $750.00
The Oware board game, here carved as a very large crocodile, is an ancient game dating back thousands of years. Pits for playing were found in the Egyptian tombs in Luxor and Thebes. Known by slightly different names in different regions, it is a count and capture game. There are in fact more than 200 versions of this game, played throughout Africa, all with slightly different rules. This piece is old and unusual in form.
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Orange and Purple Kente Cloth. One section 38”x 60” and 62”x 44” Estimated Value: $800.00
This vibrant contemporary interpretation of the traditionally colored Kente fabric, is found here in orange and purple and white. It is constructed of long strips of fabric, woven on narrow looms, and then sewn together. Designed for use by a woman, one piece is to be wrapped around their waist and the second to be sewn into a top. Women can currently be seen wearing these, their National Costume, for special occasions. An American interpretation might wrap the skirt with a top and use the second piece as a shawl or wrap.
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Brass Figure Pounding Fufu 7.5” x 2.25”
Estimated Value: $225.00
This old and heavy brass figure of a woman pounding Fufu is fashioned using the “lost wax casting” method. This technique has been used since at least the 1st of 2nd millennium BCE in sub-Saharan Africa. It is offered from the collection of Milt and Judy Krieger who spent extensive time in various countries in Africa doing research in the 1970s on.
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Dogan Carved Bone Woman with baby 14.75” x 4.5” Estimated Value: $550.00
This Female figure, shown with a baby tied to her back seems to be carved from a bone. She exhibits stylistic elements found in the work of the Dogon people in Mali and is a touching artifact that demonstrates the profound need to create and leave evidence of our being.
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Kran Mask 22” x 9” Estimated Value $1250.00
This museum quality ceremonial mask of the Kran Tribe of the Ivory Coast is spectacular. The zoomorphic form shows human and monkey attributes. Imagine the power of the forms in action with the articulated jaw guarded by large teeth and tubular protruding eyes. The small figure atop the head is thought to represent the ancestors. The nails imbue power. There is much evidence of tribal use.
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Nigerian Chief’s Beaded Cloak 46”X36”
Estimated Value: $5000.00
This magnificent Nigerian chief’s cloak is a unique acquisition for Anansi in the many years of our collecting articles of interest for sale. We acquired it from a collection that was brought to the US in the 1960’s. The cowry shells are recognized as coinage of their time and region. The represented figures of birds, crocodiles, fish and people are likely visual props for a tribal story shared orally down through time. This piece should rightfully belong in a museum.