3 Peul Hairpins Lot n° 5

3 hairpins Peul, Niger Mit Sockel / with base Copper alloys. H 7,6 - 9,4 cm. Provenance: - René David (1928-2015), Zurich, Switzerland. - Hammer Auctions, Basel, Switzerland. Auction 71, 22.12.2021, lot 1. - Christian Zingg (1956-2023), La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Since time immemorial, jewelry in a wide variety of forms and materials has accompanied and fascinated people of all cultures. From a cultural perspective, however, bangles, anklets, amulets, finger rings and necklaces are much more than just pieces of jewelry. In large parts of Africa, the masterfully crafted precious objects are appreciated for their beauty, but the valuable ornaments are above all also part of religious beliefs. They are therefore testimonies to the affiliation, rank and faith of the wearers. Furthermore, healers prescribed the wearing of protective jewelry for recovery or to avert disaster. The precious items were thus also worn as magical, protective and power-giving objects. For the production of the valuable unique pieces, in addition to local materials, such as gold, silver, copper, iron, stone, ivory, shell or resin, popular imported goods were also used (glass, coral, cowries, etc.). Indian stone beads, for example, had reached Africa very early through the trade routes of the Near East. Later, during Murano's heyday between the 16th and 19th centuries, glass beads of Italian manufacture in particular found a ready market. Due to the value of the processed raw materials, the jewelry was also a store of value, and was also used as a means of exchange and payment. These pre-coinage means of payment (so-called primitive money) in standardized forms were traded over long distances. The use of imported copper alloy manillas as barter items dates back in Africa to at least the 16th century, when the Portuguese established trading posts in West Africa. Over time, these imported goods were repeatedly melted down and cast or forged into new shapes, and other materials, such as iron, were increasingly traded in the same way. At the beginning of the 20th century, most colonial powers banned these forms of money as a means of payment in order to establish their own currencies. Further reading: Sieber, Roy & Herremann, Frank (2000). Hair in African Art and Culture. New York: The Museum for African Art & Prestel. --------------------------------------------------------------- Homage to Christian Zingg After his studies at the University of Neuchâtel, Christian Zingg (1956-2023) embarked on a career as a mathematics and physics teacher in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The overwhelming number of his former students and colleagues who attended his funeral shows the extent to which he was appreciated as a teacher there. His interest in art and its history manifested itself in various directions: At the height of his career, he purchased the Villa Jaquemet in his hometown, built by Le Corbusier in 1908. Before that, Christian had embarked on a long journey as a collector, initially turning to ancient coins. As a scientist who wanted to get to the bottom of things, he quickly trained in reading coin inscriptions and eventually became a specialist in Roman numismatics. Among other things, he co-authored the 468-page work "Les empereurs romains," which was published in 1994 and reprinted in 2009. Due to health problems, he decided to retire early and devote himself to his family and his passions. With a marked generosity towards his relatives and friends and an always open mind to new cultural horizons, he had started in 2016 with a collection of African art that very quickly led him, in his unquenchable thirst for knowledge, to seek information from the best sources, build a library, browse museums and visit auctions and fairs, not forgetting the Puces de Lyon, where he loved to stroll in search of unique finds. His passion never left him until the last moment, not even when he was lying in bed not far from his home, wishing that his relatives would bring him some of his favorite pieces, which he found difficult to part with. (François Mottas) CHF 50 / 100 The condition (wear, eventual cracks, tear, other imperfections and the effects of aging etc. if applicable) of this lot is as visible on the multiple photos we have uploaded for your documentation. Please feel free to contact Hammer Auctions for all questions you might have regarding this lot (info@hammerauktionen.ch). Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Hammer Auctions shall have no responsibility for any error or om