Standing figure "mbwoolu" · D. R. Congo, Yaka/Suku · ID: 3039632
sold
EUR 1,100
Provenance
Félix Pelt, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsSize
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, blackish brown patina, red pigment “khula”, elongated cylindrical trunk with physical deformity (arms), head with “bweni” headdress and tribe-typical facial features, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose, left ear), fine crack (left side of the head), abrasion of paint, base;
“mbwoolu” figures were used for healing illnesses. The figures always show physical deformities such as missing limbs, expanding body sections, janus-form, or spiralled torsi. The latter symbolizes belly ache or a general feeling of malady.
Comparing literature
Bourgeois, Arthur P., Art of the Yaka and Suku, Paris 1984, p. 109