Bark-cloth painting "morumba" or "pongo" · D. R. Congo, Ituri Rain Forest, Mbute · ID: 3032295
sold
EUR 300
Provenance
The Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium (1995)Eduard Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Size
M: ca. 56 cm x 51 cm
M: ca. 22.0 inch x 20.1 inch
Description
painted in black on light background with various linear motifs, glazed, in wooden frame;
the Mbute are a group of Pygmies. The decorative art form for which they are best known is drawing. Their distinctive linear designs are found mainly on bark strips and can be applied directly to the skin as temporary corporeal embellishments of a sacred or symbolic nature.
Comparing literature
Felix, Marc L., Ituri, München 1992, p. 126 Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 433