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Lot 147 - Grouping of 24 Vintage West African Iron Figurines with Painted Details and Provenance Note
Grouping of 24 vintage West African iron figurines depicting human and animal-headed figures in various poses and activities. The miniature figures are mounted on flat iron bases and retain traces of painted polychrome decoration. Subjects include standing figures with staffs, seated figures with vessels, masked or animal-headed figures with shields, and figures with round dishes or trays.
Accompanied by a handwritten provenance note signed by John Mulligan Carson, dated 12/19/14, which reads in part: "1950s West African iron figurines given by Virginia and Philip Mulligan by his parents. Philip's sister Teresa Tess Mulligan inherited them and passed them on to me around 2010. She tells the story that her mother Annie, being the devout Irish Catholic that she was, couldn't abide by the female figurines having bare chests, so she fashioned small pieces of cloth and taped them to the offending chests."
General wear throughout with paint loss and surface oxidation across the group.
Dimensions:
Dimensions of items in this lot range from 1-3/8" H to 4-1/4" H.