Janus power figure "mpwau" · D. R. Congo, Teke · ID: 3048893
sold
EUR 1,000
Provenance
Werner Krauss (1884-1959), Vienna, AustriaZemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 3 March 2012, Lot 143
Size
H: 41 cm
H: 16.1 inch
Description
wood, base
This beautiful Janus figure with a crescent-shaped crested hairstyle shows a male and a female side. The large depressions in the torsos were used by the magician “nganga” to insert magical ingredients “bilongo” (cf. AHDRC 0172752).
Lehuard, who discovered some of these rare Janus-shaped power figures, found them each time on influential people and religious leaders. His research in the field confirmed that the possession of these figures was the sole prerogative of great leaders (Lehuard,1974, p. 83).
Comparing literature
Lehuard, Raoul, Statuaire du Stanley-Pool, Villier-le-Bel 1974, p. 83, ill. 37
Publications
AHDRC: 0146218