Standing Figure (Ember), 2023. Charred cypress.
Lot 2

Kiprop Langat (b. 1990)

Standing Figure (Ember), 2023

Charred cypress

182 × 34 × 30 cm

Estimate KES 600,000–900,000

Bidding

Sold

KES 700,000

Hammer price. Buyer's premium of 20% and VAT on the premium are added.

How bidding works

Bids · 15

  1. KES 700,000 Paddle 493 In the room 23:47
  2. KES 650,000 Paddle 315 In the room 23:47
  3. KES 600,000 Paddle 124 In the room 23:46
  4. KES 550,000 Paddle 343 In the room 23:46
  5. KES 500,000 Paddle 120 In the room 23:46
  6. KES 480,000 Paddle 184 In the room 23:46
  7. KES 460,000 Paddle 355 In the room 23:46
  8. KES 440,000 Paddle 283 In the room 23:46
  9. KES 420,000 Paddle 152 In the room 23:46
  10. KES 400,000 Paddle 295 In the room 23:46
  11. KES 380,000 Paddle 492 In the room 23:46
  12. KES 360,000 Paddle 404 In the room 23:46
  13. KES 340,000 Paddle 341 In the room 23:46
  14. KES 320,000 Paddle 472 In the room 23:46
  15. KES 300,000 Paddle 487 In the room 23:46

About the work

Carved from a single cypress trunk felled near Eldoret, then charred and brushed back by hand until the grain shows silver through the black. At a little over head height, the figure narrows to a face that is little more than a brow, the line of a nose and two cuts for eyes, and it leans very slightly forward.

Condition

Very good. Fine natural checks in the wood, as made. The charred surface is stable and sealed.

Provenance

Acquired from the artist, 2023; private collection, Nairobi.

The artist

Langat carves standing forms from felled cypress, then chars the surface with fire and brushes it back, until the wood is matt black with a faint silver grain. The figures are tall and narrow, never quite human, and are often shown in pairs. He grew up near Eldoret, where his father farmed timber, and he still cuts every log himself.

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