Dance club "ebongo" · D. R. Congo, Kuyu · ID: 3036779
not available anymore
Provenance
Gerd Rosen, Berlin, GermanySize
H: 46 cm
H: 18.1 inch
Description
wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, characteristic form, hole in the parting, min. dam., small missing parts through insect caused damage, 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