African ethnographic antique: Senufo Bronze/brass ancestor divination ring. Provenance

A beautiful bronze/brass* Senufo ring depicting a pair of ancestor figures - see Fisher page 127. Also see The Metropolitan Museum NY Accession Number:1986.478.32 for a brass figure of this form. These rings were worn to obtain forgiveness and protection. The ring was created using the “lost wax” process. Each ring is original and unique as the mold is destroyed after each casting.

This ring has considerable age. Probable 19th century.

References: ‘A World of Rings’ Anne Von Cutsem, published by Skira Editore, Italy 2000
‘Africa Adorned’ Angela Fisher’ published by Collins 1984
*Bronze or brass - both copper based alloys with tin and zinc respectively.

Provenance: Ex. Romy Rey Collection.
Romy Rey (1938-2020) was born in Zurich, Switzerland. She trained as an artist in Paris and Geneva before settling in London in the early 1960s where she was a partner in two bookshops in Hampstead and Richmond. She shared her life with the artist, Brian Davies (1942-2014). The whole of her five-storey house in Richmond bustled with her “impeccably curated” collection of ethnographic art. Purchased at one of the disposal auctions

Dimensions:
34mm x 27mm x 29mm
Inside ring diameter: 17mm (also see picture of ring on ring gauge)
Weight: 21.9gm
W1224/2

Condition: Excellent with good rich patina.