Puppet head "kebe kebe" · D. R. Congo, Kuyu · ID: 3046836

Name: Puppet head "kebe kebe"
SKU: 3046836
Availability: Discontinued

not available anymore

Provenance

presumably William Brill, New York, USA
Robert Dowling, San Francisco, USA
Bonhams, New York, 15 May 2008, Lot 710

Size

H: 46 cm

H: 18.1 inch

Description

wood, colour pigments, old collection label, custom mount

This head sculptures were used for a dance bearing the same name “kebe kebe”, which occurs at the end of initiation periods of young boys. The head sculptures were attached to staffs, which the dancers held high above their heads.

Kebe-kebe puppets depict various characters associated with this dance. One of the major characters is “ebongo”, the serpent god of the Kuyu people, who gives birth to the primordial couple.

The object Puppet head “kebe kebe” with the object ID 3046836 was last part of the auction Voyage Tribal Art - Live Online Auction at May 23, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 221.

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