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Sculptural Element from a Reliquary Ensemble: Head. Gabon, Lower Ogooue River valley. Fang peoples, Betsi group. Wood; H. without base: 10 5/8 in. (27 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950
This work was originally sourced by Paris-based dealers Joseph Brummer and Charles Vignier. It was then sold by New York–based dealer Marius de Zayas to Walter and Louise Arensberg.
Figure from a Reliquary Ensemble: Seated Male Holding Horn, 19th century (before 1913). Southern Cameroon, Lokoundje valley. Fang peoples, Ngumba group. Wood, metal strips; H. 23 5/8 in. (60 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950
Walter and Louise Arensberg (1878–1954; 1879–1953) were influential patrons of avant-garde initiatives in New York. They hosted the unofficial Dada salon in their apartment, supported Marius de Zayas's second gallery venture, sponsored journals such as Others and The Blind Man, and collected works by emerging artists. Their non-Western collection first focused on African art and later featured South American and Native American artifacts. Among its highlights were two celebrated Fang reliquary sculptures (now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art), acquired from the De Zayas Gallery and photographed by Charles Sheeler in their salon.