Caryatid stool · D. R. Congo, Goma · ID: 3033496
Julius Carlebach, New York, USA
Christie’s Paris, 11 June 2007, lot 137
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.
Comparing literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 32 f.