Standing female figure "mukuya" ·  D. R. Congo, Bembe · ID: 3033329

Description

wood, honey brown patina, blackened in parts, eyes with porcelain inlay, tribe-typical scarifications, drilled hole (crypto-fetish), min. dam., fissures, minor missing part (left toe);
the Bembe live in the southeastern borderland of the Kivu province, forming a complex ethnical entity, in combining various cultural traditions. Only little is known about their culture and art. The most striking feature of Bembe statuettes is their lengthened body which is richly decorated with tattoos, marking the identity of the depicted person as well as her social rank.

Comparing literature

Gardi, Bernhard, Zaire - Masken Figuren, Basel 1986, ill. 17