Masterpieces

01 / 09

BAGA NIMBA MASK

Baga Culture, Guinea

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A shoulder mask constructed along a dominant horizontal axis, the head projecting forward from a volumetric body supported by four vertical legs.

Carved from a single wood block, projecting lateral extensions mark the junction between head form and body mass while incised geometric fields maintain continuity across the surface. Stable surface; abrasion at exposed edges; pigment retained.

Constructed for shoulder-mounted performance within Baga ceremonial systems.

Wood, cotton, iron, brass, pigment. H 125 cm · W 35 cm. 19th–20th century. Stable patina; exposure at projecting elements; attachments and pigment retained.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.

02 / 09

BAGA CEREMONIAL DRUM

Baga Culture, Southern Guinea

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A ceremonial drum organised along a vertical axis, the structure constructed from interconnected figural supports beneath a contained cylindrical chamber.

Carved from a single wood block, open transitional voids separate the upper drum volume from the supporting register while carved figures maintain structural continuity between base, shaft, and chamber. Stable surface; exposure at projecting edges and contact points; deposits retained within recessed zones.

Constructed for processional ceremonial performance within Baga musical systems.

Wood, hide, cord. H 107 cm · W 35 cm. 19th–20th century. Stable patina; lashing and tension pegs intact; hide membrane worn, with small perforations.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ivory Coast, 1971.

03 / 09

LULUWA MATERNITY FIGURE

Luluwa Culture, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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A standing maternity figure structured along a central vertical axis, the mass concentrated in the head and upper torso.

Carved from a single wood block, the face and skull carry dense incised patterning — chevrons, lozenges, crosshatching, and concentric circles — extending without interruption from hairline to jaw. Incision continues across the chest, abdomen, arms, and legs in a continuous geometric system. A child is held horizontally across the lower torso, supported in both arms. The feet are broad and block-form. Surface is compact and stable; pigment retained in recessed carving; exposure at raised areas.

Among the Luluwa, figures of this type are associated with ideals of physical and social wellbeing within lineage structures.

Wood, pigment. H 119 cm · W 29 cm. 19th–20th century. Stable surface; pigment retained in recessed carving; exposure at raised areas. Vertical age split through the left foot; fine cracks to the torso.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1985.

04 / 09

BAMBARA ANTELOPE HEADDRESS (CHIWARA)

Bambara Culture, Mali

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A headdress constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised as a planar openwork superstructure rising from a compact base. Paired incised horns, an openwork mane of concentric arcs, sheet brass with red textile insets, cowrie shells, textile tassels, and a tuft of hair retained.

Among the Bambara, Chiwara headdresses are worn in agricultural ceremonies marking planting and harvest cycles.

Wood, sheet brass, textile, cowrie shells, beads, hair. H 124 cm · W 28 cm. 19th–20th century. Stable patina; exposure at projecting elements; applied materials retained.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Mali, 1984.

05 / 09

EWE MASK

Ewe Culture, Togo

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A mask constructed along a vertical axis, the form contained within a continuous oval facial volume. A carved chain descends from the chin in linked loops, terminating in a carved bird head. The face is covered in dense incised arcs. Surface compact and stable.

Among the Ewe, masks of this type are used within performance and ceremonial structures.

Wood. Mask H 49 cm · W 33.5 cm; Chain L 75 cm. 20th century. Surface stable; exposure at raised elements.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Togo, 1983.

06 / 09

BENIN ALTAR VESSEL REPRESENTING AN OBA

Benin Kingdom, Nigeria

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An altar vessel constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised as a tapering cylindrical volume surmounted by a double-faced head of an Oba. Front and back are identical: on each, a serpent descends from the mouth to a second face in the lower register; identical full-length figures stand in high relief at either side, between vertical bands of spiral ornament. Surface stable; oxidation retained within recessed fields.

Among the Benin, vessels of this type functioned within ancestral altar contexts associated with courtly commemorative practice.

Cast bronze. H 45 cm · W 25 cm · D 23 cm. 20th century. Stable oxidation; recessed deposits retained; relief definition preserved.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Nigeria, 1984.

07 / 09

BENIN COMMEMORATIVE HEAD REPRESENTING A QUEEN MOTHER

Benin Kingdom, Nigeria

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A commemorative head constructed along a vertical axis, the form organised through a contained facial volume surmounted by an elongated pointed coiffure.

Elongated eyes are positioned beneath projecting brows above a closed mouth and articulated jawline. Incised scarification marks are set above each eye, with further incised marks across the upper cheeks. Coiled loop ornaments are set at either side of the coiffure, above the ears, and a beaded band frames the brow. The neck is rendered as a tightly ribbed cylindrical collar, visually distinct from the facial plane.

The coiffure rises as a tall tapering cone, its textured surface set with star-form rosettes and small rectangular tabs and bound by diagonal cross-strapping of cord-form relief, with knotted loops at the intersections. A segmented vertical band ascends the front to a twisted cord-form finial, bound at its base by a wrapped band. Relief patterning remains continuous across the full circumference.

Surface is compact and stable. Oxidation is retained within recessed fields and relief intervals; exposure is present at projecting edges and perimeter transitions. Relief modelling remains crisp and well preserved.

Among the Benin, commemorative heads functioned within courtly and ancestral altar contexts associated with royal lineage and memorial practice.

Cast bronze. H 52 cm · W 20 cm · D 24 cm. 20th century. Stable oxidation; recessed deposits retained; relief definition preserved.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Nigeria, 1984.

08 / 09

AFRICAN MOTHER

Kenya
Artist: M. Gaston

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A painting organised through a compressed vertical figural arrangement centred on a mother carrying a child across her back while attending to a second child positioned at her side. The figures are linked through gesture and proximity within a shallow pictorial field.

Surface is structured through layered brushwork and impasto accumulation. Abrasion remains limited; pigment layer retained across the composition.

Works of this type function within modern East African figurative painting traditions, where themes of motherhood and communal continuity are articulated through direct figural composition.

Oil on canvas. H 61 cm · W 47 cm. Dated 1987. Surface stable; impasto and brush definition retained.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Kenya, 1987.

09 / 09

QUEEN OF SHEBA

Ethiopia
Artist: Gebrekirstos Solomon

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A painting organised along a dominant horizontal field, the central seated figure of the Queen of Sheba positioned within a compressed frontal composition flanked by armed retainers, attendants, and a reclining lion. Saturated ceremonial colours and linear contouring define the surface structure.

Works of this type belong to the secular tradition of Ethiopian court and narrative painting, where the Queen of Sheba is depicted within compositions of royal authority and delegated command.

Oil on goatskin leather. H 50 cm · W 60 cm. Dated 1974. Surface stable; paint layer intact.

Provenance: From the Felice Maffei Collection, acquired in Ethiopia, 1982.