Standing male figure
D. R. Congo, Holo
sold
EUR 1,000
Provenance
Father Govaers, The White Fathers (collected ca. 1930)Lempertz, Brussels, 12 June 2015, lot 56
Size
H: 55,5 cm
H: 21.9 inch
Description
wood, dark brown patina, red pigment remains, rhomb-shaped head, missing parts through insect caused damage, cracks, slight traces of abrasion, base;
presumably a magical figure “mvunzi”, who protects 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.
Publications
AHDRC: 0125145