Standing figure "mvunzi" · D. R. Congo, Holo · ID: 3042768
Fred Jahn, Munich, Germany
Werner Fischer, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Hermann Sommerhage, Duisburg, Germany
Günther Filla, Bochum, Germany
Description
wood, shiny brown patina, remains of pigments, with flat headdress, typical gesture: both hands up to the chin, several cavities (right face half, between legs) for insertion of magical substances (still preserved on the back), slightly dam., plate.
“Mvunzi” figures should protect humans against certain evil spirits. The main fortuneteller usually possesses such “mvunzi”, who employs them in cases of sickness, for theft or for the hunt. In many cases, for example with theft, a “mvunzi” possesses not only a protective function, but also an offensive character by acting against the evil spirit and imposing on it an even greater evil.
The object Standing figure “mvunzi” with the object ID 3042768 was last part of the auction 87th Tribal Art Auction at November 11, 2017 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 105 achieved a sales price of EUR 900.
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Publications
Neyt, Francois, Die Kunst der Holo, München 1982, p. 101, ill. 68
AHDRC: 0147186