Standing female figure
German Private Collection (2002)
Lempertz, Brussels, 22 January 2013, Lot 153
Description
wood, coated with a thick layer of paint/ mass, insect caused damage/ missing parts, base
Figurative sculpture of the Lwalwa is extremely rare, its function has not yet been clarified.
Cornet writes in 1972: “The number of figures created by (Lwalwa) sculptors is limited to just a few figurines in the form of poles crowned with a head that goes back to the shape of masks, objects used for fertility cults, for success in hunting and numerous wishes to benevolent spirits”.
According to another source, female figures were used by members of a secret female society whose concern was female fertility.
Roy suspects that the figures embody nature spirits. The strong stylization of the faces as well as the fact that the figures sometimes appear in pairs would speak for this.