Mali (No reserve price)
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Stylised figure in steatite from Mali, dating to the early 20th century, measuring 13 cm high and 4.5 cm wide and weighing 350 g, provenance Privécollectie, authentic/original and in good condition.
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Description from the seller
Title: Figure – Soapstone – Mali (No reserve)
Category: African & Tribal Art
Condition: Good – unrestored, signs of use
Dimensions: 13 × 4.5 cm · 350 g
Description (EN):
Stylized figure carved from soapstone (steatite), collected in Mali.
The flat, leaf-shaped head bears a strongly abstracted face: a pointed skull, a continuous nasal ridge rising from the eyebrows, incised eyes, full lips and triangular incised lines across both cheeks. Under the head, behind a double-incised neck ring, the sculpture transitions into a round, tapering shaft with a rounded tip — the figure was meant to be set in a pedestal, a staff, or into the ground.
The carving is hand-cut: the gouges have an irregular V-shaped profile and the halves of the face are slightly asymmetrical. Fine polish marks are visible on the shaft. The soapstone has a gray-green core and a warm ocher-brown patina that runs through both the incised lines and the raised areas; the dried earth in the crevices has deliberately not been removed. The material is soft and prone to scratching.
Condition: good and unrestored, with signs of use and surface grime as shown. No cracks or restorations.
Provenance: ex-collection of Aart van der Heide (Elburg, Netherlands). Van der Heide traveled to Mali for project work twice a year and collected the pieces there himself. After his death, acquired directly from the estate, from the heirs. There are no accompanying documents; the attribution relies on stylistic and material characteristics and is not certified. Offered as an ethnographic object, 20th century.
Insured shipping with tracking from the Netherlands, carefully packaged.
Title: Figure – Soapstone – Mali (No reserve)
Category: African & Tribal Art
Condition: Good – unrestored, signs of use
Dimensions: 13 × 4.5 cm · 350 g
Description (EN):
Stylized figure carved from soapstone (steatite), collected in Mali.
The flat, leaf-shaped head bears a strongly abstracted face: a pointed skull, a continuous nasal ridge rising from the eyebrows, incised eyes, full lips and triangular incised lines across both cheeks. Under the head, behind a double-incised neck ring, the sculpture transitions into a round, tapering shaft with a rounded tip — the figure was meant to be set in a pedestal, a staff, or into the ground.
The carving is hand-cut: the gouges have an irregular V-shaped profile and the halves of the face are slightly asymmetrical. Fine polish marks are visible on the shaft. The soapstone has a gray-green core and a warm ocher-brown patina that runs through both the incised lines and the raised areas; the dried earth in the crevices has deliberately not been removed. The material is soft and prone to scratching.
Condition: good and unrestored, with signs of use and surface grime as shown. No cracks or restorations.
Provenance: ex-collection of Aart van der Heide (Elburg, Netherlands). Van der Heide traveled to Mali for project work twice a year and collected the pieces there himself. After his death, acquired directly from the estate, from the heirs. There are no accompanying documents; the attribution relies on stylistic and material characteristics and is not certified. Offered as an ethnographic object, 20th century.
Insured shipping with tracking from the Netherlands, carefully packaged.
Details
Number of objects
1
Country of Origin
Mali
Period
Early 20th century
Material
Soapstone
Condition
Good condition
Height
13 cm
Width
4.5 cm
Weight
350 g
Provenance
Private collection
Authenticity
Original/official
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