Fragment of an ancestor figure ·  D. R. Congo, Basikasingo · ID: 3035982

Description

wood, greyish brown patina with remains of dark brown paint, the compact trunk enclosed by clamp-like arranged arms, crowned by an angular face with voluminous coiffure and plug in the parting, the body below the hips missing, destroyed by insects, sacrificial traces, slightly dam., cracks (above all on both sides of the body), block-like base;
figures of the Basikasingo often represent individual ancestors, called “bashumbu”. They were kept in special shrines under the authority and guardianship of a dominant lineage elder. The eastern Congo region near Lake Tanganyika, as in many parts of Africa, has seen centuries of migration, trade and cultural assimilation. Mainly Luba-Hemba influence from the south is therefore reflected in wooden figures attributed to the Basikasingo.

The object Fragment of an ancestor figure with the object ID 3035982 was last part of the auction 75th tribal art auction at November 30, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 392 achieved a sales price of EUR 12,000.

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Comparing literature

Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 553