Royal memorial figure "lefem"

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Description

wood, brown encrusted patina, sacrificial traces, voluminous body, the right hand holding an item (knife, horn?), coiffure made of fur, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, socle;
the figure probably depicts one of the numerous wives of a Bangwa king or his mother “mafo”. Occasions on which the statues are displayed include personal ancestor worship of the king, liturgies for the protection of the territory and fertility of the soil, and royal funerals. The figure probably derives from the eastern Bangwa.

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Comparing literature

Roy, Christopher D., Kilengi, Afrikanische Kunst aus der Sammlung Bareiss, München 1997, p. 299 f. , no. 193

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