Zemanek-Münster

Reliquary guardian figure "mbulu-ngulu" ·  Gabon, Kota · ID: 3035573

not available anymore
Provenance
Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium
Philippe and Lisa Laeremans, Liège, Belgium
Size
H: 52 cm
H: 20.5 inch

Description

wood, metal sheet and tags, enlivened by metal plating from various materials, typical sickle-shaped coiffure and projections on both sides, the neck merging into a diamond-shaped handle (fragmentary), min. dam., slight traces of corrosion, small missing parts at the back, socle;
the Kota used to fix these stylized head sculptures on top of boxes containing the skulls and bones of important ancestors. They should protect the valuable contents. Housed on a shelf outside the village, the figure was carefully polished with sand to maintain its shining surface which should keep sorcerers away.


The object Reliquary guardian figure “mbulu-ngulu” with the object ID 3035573 was last part of the auction 74th tribal art auction at September 7, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 301.

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.


Comparing literature

Perrois, Louis, Kota Ancestors, Paris 2011, p. 51, ill. 12


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