Dance club "ebongo" · D. R. Congo, Kuyu · ID: 3035208
sold
EUR 1,000
Provenance
Oskar Oberle, Würzburg, Germany, collected in situ (1950’s)German Private Collection
Size
H: 52 cm
H: 20.5 inch
Description
wood, remains of polychrome paint, shiny patina, flat facial features, filed teeth, scarification marks, high towering coiffure in several lobes, dam., missing parts through insect caused damage, cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
used for the so-called “kébé-kébé” snake dance, which finished the initiation of young boys.The head sculptures were attached to staffs, which the dancers held high above their heads. Their bodies were completely concealed by long costumes and the heads abundantly decorated with feathers.
Comparing literature
Kerchache, Jacques & Jean-Louis Paudrat u.a., Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, Basel, Wien 1988, p. 579