Previewing the Tribal Art Sales

NEW YORK— Saul and Marsha Stanoff were a formidable collecting team. He had a great eye and she has a strong aesthetic sense. Together over 50 years, until Saul’s death two years ago, they put together a wonderful collection of tribal art, which is being sold at Sotheby’s New York on May 17.

Saul was a special kind of collector, said a dealer who knew him well for many years. “He saw the beauty in small things.” The Stanoffs used to keep their treasures in a minimal-style house in Los Angeles, the interior of which was designed by Saul. Marsha still lives there.

The Saul and Marsha Stanoff Collection is particularly strong in African art, but the couple started out collecting Pre-Columbian art in the 1960s. The greatest Pre-Columbian objects in the sale include “a minimalist Chinesco figure (est. $159,000-200,000) made of just ten or 12 lines,” says Stacy Goodman, head of Pre-Columbian art at Sotheby’s. Saul considered it his best Pre-Columbian piece. Another star is a Maya standing figure holding a shield (Jaina, late Classic, ca. 550-950 A.D. [est. $100,000-150,000]), one of four Jaina figures in the collection.

Among the strongest African works are several iconic objects. A magnificent Grebo mask from Liberia—with a square mouth, round eyes, and traces of blue, black, and white pigment—projects strength, power, and presence. Its provenance dates back to the French artist Maurice de Vlaminck, who like his friend Pablo Picasso was a passionate collector of African art. The mask is expected to bring $600,0000 to $800,000, but could easily go for much higher. It was shown at the Museum for African Art exhibition in New York in 1897-98. Also in the Stanoff Collection is another object that came from de Vlaminck: a Cameroon head (est. $600,000-900,000), with blown-out cheeks, bulbous eyes, and a tubular nose. The piece is one of only four known works of its type, according to Jean Fritts, Sotheby’s Worldwide Director of African and Oceanic art. A third iconic piece, according to Fritts, is a Hemba caryatid stool with an exquisite face from the Congo (est. $500,000-700,000).

In addition to the Stanoff Collection, Sotheby’s also has a sale of various owners of African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian Art, also on May 17, which includes treasures being deaccessioned by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Most spectacular, perhaps, is a Benin bronze head of an oba (king) made in Nigeria, ca. 1575-1625 (est. $1-1.5 million). The kingdom of Benin was the dominant military force and imperial power on the west coast of Africa during the 16th century. In 1897, the British Army, responding to the murder of a British vice-consul, captured Benin’s capital and looted the royal palace. This head, along with some 3,000 other bronze castings, were taken as loot to London and later dispersed around the world.

Another stunner is a black Punu-Lumbo ritual dance mask from Gabon (est. $400,000-600,000), which is exceptional for its height (11 ¾ inches), old age, and sculptural qualities. One of the earliest known masks of this type, it was exhibited and published in the early 20th century.

Sotheby’s tribal art sales may well be landmarks, and should set new auction records for several of the rare and most beautiful pieces. It is no common occurrence for so much great material to come on the market at one time. But Sotheby’s managed to pull together a group of extraordinary material.

Meanwhile Christie’s second New York-based sale of Pre-Columbian art on May 23 is a much smaller affair. But it does include highlights such as an Olmec figure from Los Bocas, dating from the early Pre-Classic period, ca. 1150-550 B.C. This Pre-Columbian masterpiece carries an estimate of $200,000-250,000. The figure is notable for its large size and exceptional sculptural quality.