Pair of ancestor figures. Mangbetu, Democratic Eepublic of Congo, Area of Uele.
Wood, honey brown patina, dark brown paint (coiffure), strings of fabric with attached animal claws, a male and a female, with compact bodies, showing voluminous, round forms, the arms worked in flat relief, while the hands are elaborate carved and show different gestures, crowned by cylindrical coiffures, enhancing the elegant length of the heads, slightly dam., minor missing parts (right ear of the female), hairline cracks, place of repair (both feet of the male figure), on base; a work of Dopia Mototo. A figurative bark box of the same artist was auctioned at Sotheby's New York (May 19, 2000, lot 269). The attribution is clearly proven, stylistical and by inscription: "DOPIA MOTOTO NA BAKENGE ASSALI". It came from Egon Geunther, Johannesburg, former Emil Storrer, Zurich. A further closely related example of a male bark box is kept in the collection of the Hamburg, Museum für Völkerkunde (Zwernemann/Lohse, 1985, ill. 179). Present figures, as well as the two figural bark boxes are nice examples for the naturalistic tendency in Mangbetu art. The Mangbetu settle along the banks of Bomokandi River in Northeastern Zaire. In former times they had a prosperous kingdom. Mangbetu art in general is court-oriented, and was reserved for the ruling classes. It reflected wealth, and prestige of its owners and therefore was mainly restricted on the design of basic commodities and ritual objects. Figures are rather rare and can be looked upon as ancestor figures in general. Their style is affected by a lengthened skull, the most outstanding beauty ideal of Mangbetu aristocracy. Individuals of advanced age among the Mangbetu still designate these statues by the name "beli". According to them, they were used in hidden locals by the secret society of the name "nebeli". The rare witnesses we have to these Nebeli rites confirm the existence of statuettes of spirits or ancestors, kept at these secret places.
Height: 45 cm.
Estimate: 50,000 - 100,000 €
No comments:
Post a Comment