Standing male figure ·  D. R. Congo, Bakongo · ID: 3037109

Description

wood, light brown patina, small remains of black paint and kaolin, striking big head with characteristic headdress, eyes originally with porcelain inlay (mass remains, pupil), ornamental ears, suit and shoes in European style, umbrella, slightly dam., cracks, abrasion of paint;
the inclination towards realism oriented the Bakongo towards portraiture. Funerary likenesses constitute the principal expression of this taste, and a tomb is often marked by an effigy of the deceased. These statues are most often executed in stone, but portraits in wood have not entirely disappeared.

Comparing literature

Felix, Marc L. (ed.), Kongo Kingdom Art, China 2003, p. 255