A FINE BAULE MALE FIGURE

Property from the Estate of William Kohler

Details

A FINE BAULE MALE FIGURE
Standing with the arms carved in relief on the body with the hands resting on the abdomen, the sensitively carved face with large eyes and brows and eyelids carved in relief, small hatched beard below the chin, keloids carved in relief to the temples and neck, the incised coiffure with carved plait along the median ridge falling down the nape of the neck, on circular base with notched border, white painted number 1657 to the back of the base, old label to the underside, dark brown patina
11¼in. (28.5cm.) high

Provenance

Merton Simpson, New York, 1977

Lot Essay

The present figure must be added to the small corpus of carvings known to be by this master carver. In addition to the famous figure holding a bowl, formerly in the Ginzberg collection (Gillon, 1979, fig.55), and the seated figure in the Malcolm collection (Robbins and Nooter, 1989, fig.344) there is the almost identical figure sold at Sotheby's New York on 21 November 1996 as lot 88. Amongst the characteristics of the carver's style are the upturned head with large eyes and the double braid above the ears.