Reliquary guardian figure "mbulu-ngulu" ("spirit of a deceased") · Gabon, Kota, Ndassa · ID: 3047298
Christie’s, South Kensington, 24 March 1988, Lot 178
Edmondo Trombetta, Monza, Italy
Description
wood, copper alloy (brass, bronze), base
The reliquiary figures from Gabon are creations that have particularly appealed to lovers of African and modern art from the moment it was “discovered” in the early 20th century.
Although their appearance differs greatly from those of the Kota and Mahongwe groups to the “byeri” figures of the Fang groups, they had all the same function as conceptual “tombstones” and “mobile” cemetaries.
They were generally attached to baskets or round boxes of bark in which relics such as fragments of the skull, bones, and other mementos of the honoured deceased were placed.
The object Reliquary guardian figure “mbulu-ngulu” (“spirit of a deceased”) with the object ID 3047298 was last part of the auction 95th Tribal Art Auction at October 24, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 121 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000.
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
AHDRC: 0047275