Female ancestor figure ·  D. R. Congo, Kalundwe - Songe · ID: 3032407

Description

wood, black patina, string of glass beads, five-parted fan-like coiffure, angular limbs, the facial features reminding of the Songe style, slightly dam., cracks;
the Kalundwe are a small ethnic group, having their homeland in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Although belonging to the Luba cluster, they are artistically influenced not only by the Chokwe, but also by the Kanyok, and of course by the other Luba groups, like the Luba-Shankadi, Luba-Shaba and Luba-Lomami. Like Kalundwe society itself, the art is class-conscious with certain objects reserved for the notables. Clan ancestor figures are kept by clan elders and they come in male and female form.

Comparing literature

Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 49, ill. 7 Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, München 2009, p. 316