Reliquary guardian figure "mbulu" or "mwete" · Gabon, Kota · ID: 3036264
Emil Storrer, Zurich, Switzerland
Edith Hafter, Solothurn, Switzerland
Description
wood, metal sheet and tags, typical sickle-shaped coiffure and projections on both sides, the neck merging into a diamond-shaped handle, rep. (breakages at the coiffure), missing parts through insect caused damage, base;
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” or “mwete” with the object ID 3036264 was part of the auction 76th tribal art auction on March 22, 2014. The object with the lot number 533 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,200 with an asking price of EUR 2,000.
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