Figure of a colonial lord ·  D. R. Congo, Bakongo · ID: 3049685

Description

wood, paint, inscribed in graphite on the underside of the base: “…1924”, rest., base

This beautiful work shows a finely dressed man in a frock coat hat and
bow tie, his trousers neatly pressed and wearing black shoes. The
clothing is European, while the beautifully modeled facial features are
more African in character. The viewer feels directly spoken to by the
large eyes with painted pupils.

For a figure of the same workshop see AHDRC 0018585.

Figures of this type were sometimes placed on graves of important individuals as markers, both establishing a metaphysical link between the worlds of the living and of the spirits, and commemorating the ancestors.

Comparing literature

Felix, Marc L. (ed.), Kongo Kingdom Art, China 2003, p. 89