Standing female figure · D. R. Congo, Ubangi, Bwaka (Ngbaka) / Ngbandi · ID: 3048544
Srdjan Sremac, The Hague, The Netherlands
Description
wood, leather, rest., base
Probably a representation of “nabo”, the sister-wife of “seto”. The two figures are usually found in pairs and represent the promordial ancestral couple.
According to a report of the colonial official A. Ronse from the 1930s, “seto” and “nabo” were placed in the houses of the Ngbaka, where they received daily offerings.
They functioned as guardians of the owners and their families and drove away the evil spirits that caused sickness and death, made crops fail and hunts go badly and brought about miscarriages. They were also asked for help with special concerns, such as illness or infertility.
The object Standing female figure with the object ID 3048544 was last part of the auction 97th Auction at November 6, 2021 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 304.
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Comparing literature
Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk (ed.), Ubangi, Brussels, 2007, p. 155, 4.17