Dance club "ebongo" · D. R. Congo, Kuyu · ID: 3035208
German Private Collection
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.
The object Dance club “ebongo” with the object ID 3035208 was last part of the auction 74th tribal art auction at September 7, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 351 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,000.
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Comparing literature
Kerchache, Jacques & Jean-Louis Paudrat u.a., Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, Basel, Wien 1988, p. 579