Standing female ancestor figure · D. R. Congo, Luba · ID: 3038525
The Johnson Museum, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA
Dorothy Brill Robbins, New York, USA
Description
wood, reddish brown patina with traces of black paint, elongated trunk, extremely flattened on both sides, cross-shaped hairdo, min. dam. (left eye, cheeks, toes), cracks (right side of head and body), breakage (right arm), missing parts (left heel), base;
the figural carving of the Luba can be divided in two different groups, ritual objects, like the ancestor figures and emblems of power, like figural stools or female bowl bearing figures. The serene expression and the slit-like, nearly closed eyes refer to the world of the ancestors, respectively the world of the death.
The gesture with the hands up to the breasts refers to the life- and nourishment-giving role of women in Luba society.
The object Standing female ancestor figure with the object ID 3038525 was last part of the auction 80th Tribal Art Auction at June 27, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 459.
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Comparing literature
Roberts, Mary Nooter, Memory, New York 1996, p. 42