Caryatid stool
D. R. Congo, Goma
sold
EUR 7,900
Provenance
Lore Kegel, Hamburg, Germany (1953)Julius Carlebach, New York, USA
Christie’s Paris, 11 June 2007, lot 137
Size
H: 43,5 cm
H: 17.1 inch
Description
wood, blackish brown patina, in shape of a standing male figure with striking coarse forms, nose and mouth enclosed in a triangular compartment, abdomen and knees disc-shaped flattened, the feet especially large, the seat slanting to the front, small traces of insect caused damage (base), rep. (both lower legs);
the Goma as seen today seem to have lost most of their artistic traditions. From what remains we know mainly masks. Only a few figures seem to have Goma origin. They were used in ancestor cults, while the masks were used at funerary ceremonies or initiation rites. Goma figurative scultpures are very rare ! Related to the Bembe and Boyo groups, the Goma reside in small villages along the western shore of Lake Tanganyika.