Zemanek-Münster

Half figure "munsinju", around 1920 ·  D. R. Congo, Kasongo · ID: 3048312

sold EUR 1,100
Provenance
Marc Leo Felix, Brussels, Belgium (field collected)
Fred Jahn, Munich, Germany
Thomas Olbricht, Essen, Germany (1996)
Size
H: 16,5 cm
H: 6.5 inch

Description

wood, fabric, kaolin, base

This half-figure was collected in the field by Mark Leo Felix (inventory no. “FC4 393”). In his standard work “100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture” (Brussels, 1987), it serves as a model for the type of “munsinju” half-figures of the Kasongo (p. 53, Fig. 3).

The figure shows traces of ritual use and still carries its magical charge wrapped in cloth in its head. “Munsiniju” were the property of the medicine men “muganga”.

A stylistically very similar figure from the Kabalo region, possibly from the same workshop, published in AHDRC 0017759.


The object Half figure “munsinju”, around 1920 with the object ID 3048312 was part of the auction 97th Auction on November 6, 2021. The object with the lot number 308 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,100 with an asking price of EUR 600.

You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.


Publications

Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brussels 1987, p. 53, fig. 3


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