Standing female figure "mukuya" ·  D. R. Congo, Bembe · ID: 3038250

Description

wood, middle brown patina, black paint, eyes with white porcelain inlay, characteristic elongated trunk, richly adorned with skin scarifications in relief, opening (crypto fetish), slightly dam., cracks (disc-shaped base), base;
the opening on the back was used by the “nganga” to give vital force to the figure, afterwards it was filled with magical material: “bilongo” (medicine) or relics of an ancestor as a symbol of the power and spirit of the deceased relative. Afterwards the opening was closed by a piece of fabric or a plug. As long as the spirit stayed within the statue, it watched over his descendants and punished contempts against customs and rules.

The object Standing female figure “mukuya” with the object ID 3038250 was part of the auction 79th Tribal Art Auction on March 21, 2015. The object with the lot number 385 achieved a sales price of EUR 5,000 with an asking price of EUR 3,500.

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