Seated bowl bearer "kabila mboko" · D. R. Congo, Kanyok · ID: 3034847
Michel Gaud, Saint Tropez, France
Didier Claes, Brussels, Belgium
Description
wood, shiny dark brown patina, large hands, elaborate coiffure with two chignons, rep. (breakage left foot), min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion, wooden socle;
the functions of bowl bearing figures differ throughout the region, but they seem to have a close link to divination and healing. When a chief takes office his first wife hands him such a sacred receptacle with white earth (kaolin), a symbol of power. They are also considered as abode of the spirit who helps the diviner to heal the patient.
The object Seated bowl bearer “kabila mboko” with the object ID 3034847 was last part of the auction 73rd tribal art auction at May 25, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 376 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,000.
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Comparing literature
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brüssel 1987, p. 51, ill. 4