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THBMuseum-Quality Benin Kingdom Brass Maskette
Lot 41
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$3,000 - $5,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
West Africa, Benin, Benin Kingdom, Edo culture, ca. 19th century or earlier CE. A finely cast brass maskette, distinguished by its exceptionally thin and precise casting. Likely worn as a hip pendant by a king, this maskette portrays a male ancestor or a defeated ruler - a theme deeply embedded in Benin's courtly traditions. The facial features are naturalistic yet stylized, with deep-set eyes - the pupils inlaid with iron, and vertical scarification marks are on the forehead, the brow framed by a coiffure intricately decorated with crosshatched lozenges, echoing early Edo aesthetic conventions. The piece is mounted on a cloth backing over a panel and is ready to display. Size of maskette: 4" L x 2.3" W (10.2 cm x 5.8 cm); backing: 7.5" L x 4.75" W (19 cm x 12.1 cm)
The piece exhibits a remarkable thinness and delicate scale, which consultant Justine Cordwell associated with pre-Portuguese Benin. Such masks from the transitional period between Ife naturalism and later Benin stylization are extremely rare outside of major institutional collections. According to Justine Cordwell: "The style is very similar to the mask of the Inneh, said to have been made in Oba Esigie's time (1490s to early 1500s). However, your small mask's thinness would seem to come from an even earlier period, probably pre-Portuguese contact."
Exhibited: "Connoisseurship and Good Pie: Ted Coe and Collecting Native Art", July 2015 - April 2016, at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; ex- Ralph T. Coe personal collection; acquired in 2001 from Charles Davis, Davis Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#196053Old holes at top probably from casting and wear due to age. Old losses to suspension loops along the edges. Dark patina and oxidation, especially to iron inlays. Overall excellent, and mounted on a cloth backing.Condition
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