La Galerie Cotignac Figurative Sculptures

A Native North American carved wood and painted effigy figure, Hopi Katsina or Kachina doll. A wonderfully playful, coloured and highly individual Hopi Katsina doll. Each doll repr...

A Native North American carved wood and painted effigy figure, Hopi Katsina or Kachina doll. A wonderfully playful, coloured and highly individual Hopi Katsina doll. Each doll repr...

A group of four Native North American carved wood and painted effigy figures, Hopi Katsina or Kachina dolls paddling their canoe. Four wonderfully playful, brightly coloured and hig...

A polychrome and gilt plaster statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The quality of the original gilding and the handling of the folds in the clothing are exceptional. A wonderful statu...

2 of 2 patinated bronze animal sculptures of a pair of African elephants at play by Dinah Neill, 2022. Dinah Neill trained in fine art and graduated with...

Mid 20th Century sgraffito work on plaster by Jean Pierre de Cayeux. The work is signed and dated on the skirt of the card player, bottom right, and on the stretcher of the chair, bo...

A 20th Century wood carved male figure, a 'Cigar Store Indian' with original polychrome decoration. A now controversial subject, but none the less charming rendition, of a native North American man originally probably used as an advertising figure. Wonderful quality of carving capturing the stance of the man looking out to the distance, hair flowing to his back and plait to the side, all the details of his costume, his native dress and hairpipe breastplate (suggesting he is possibly a Comanche) and chest ornament, apron, trousers, mocassins, shield and arrows. The original Polychrome decoration has weathered beautifully as has the wood itself to present a sculpture that would adorn any collection or interior. Because of the general illiteracy of the populace, early store owners used descriptive emblems or figures to advertise their shops' wares. American Indians and tobacco had always been associated because American Indians introduced tobacco to Europeans. As early as the 17th century, European tobacconists used figures of American Indians to advertise their shops. Because European carvers had never seen a Native American, these early cigar-store "Indians" looked more like Africans with feathered headdresses and other fanciful, exotic features. These carvings were called "Black Boys" or "Virginians" in the trade. Eventually, the European cigar-store figure...

French Mid 20th Century ceramic figure of a man in Sang de Boeuf, oxblood red, glaze presented on a metal 'tige' and marble base. The sculpture is not signed but was purchased from ...

A Songye Male Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the male figure resting on one knee, with openwork arms and hands resting by the abdomen which contains various charms a...

A Songye Male Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the male figure with openwork arms and hands resting on the abdomen, typical facial features and a waterbuck (kobus elli...

Large, Neapolitan, late 19th Century hardwood sculpture of a camel. Artist unknown. A beautifully patinated hardwood sculpture. The sculpture is extremely charming and having been handled for over a century has a lovely warm and tactile patina. It is particularly nice too see the work of the craftsperson in the adze and chisel marks along the body of the sculpture. The Italians and most notably the area around Naples has a long and storied tradition in the creation of sculptures for Nativity Scenes. This camel is both an endearing item and a piece of social history. A wonderful addition in its own right to the traditional Christmas scene, by tradition this sculpture was used as a maquette for the production of papier-maché models used in Christmas Creches which have such a long tradition in Italy and throughout the world. Wonderfully carved this piece was used to create hollow models out of papier-maché which were more affordable for this Christmas tradition. Hundreds of strips of papier-maché would be layered onto the figure in all directions. Then using a sharp tool the papier-maché was pushed into all the crevices of the sculpture to give it crisp detail. Once the layers of paper were dry the papier-maché was cut at certain points and lifted off the sculpture. Then finally the resulting body parts were glued back together, painted and patinated ready to be placed in the crèche scene. In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene...

Imposing and very large scale mixed media 'assemblage' by French artist Armand Avril. The work includes the French tricolour flag colours, his symbolic cat sculptures and a highly colourful geometric image of the artist's mother sitting in a chair. The work is signed and dated to the reverse and comes with a certificate of authenticity from the gallery. This montage fully demonstrates Avril's geometric period whilst also expressing the humour and joy that he puts into all his work. A very strong sculptural image and a feast for the eyes in searching for and recognising the everyday objects used in making this piece come alive. This montage is made from wood pieces, plywood, oil paint, acrylic, bottle top and nails . The more sculpted areas of the piece stand out up to 3cm from the frame. Armand Avril was born in 1926 in Lyon. His father, Marcel Avril was a painter and collector of African art. At 16 Armand became an apprentice shepherd in Provence. Avril could always be seen equipped with a sketchbook and a book on the history of art whilst tending his flock. It was not until the age of 30, in 1956, that Armand embarked on painting as an autodidact, influenced by Raoul Dufy, Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse and the Lyonnaise School of Painting. He exhibited for the first time in 1957. In 1960, he left for a one-year trip to Africa. There he met the painter Jean Arène who introduced him to the village of Cotignac in the Var and to Louis Pons...

Early 20th century zoomorphic African puppet head sculpture from the Bozo tribe in Mali. This puppet head would have been used by the Bozo ethnic group during the Sogobo ceremony. This ancestral tradition continues in the region of Segou in Mali along the Niger river. It is an opportunity to regroup the different villages and give rise to musical and theatrical performances whose highlight is the puppet show...