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.
The object Standing female figure “mukuya” with the object ID 3033329 was last part of the auction 70th tribal art auction at September 8, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 379.
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Comparing literature
Gardi, Bernhard, Zaire - Masken Figuren, Basel 1986, ill. 17