Standing male figure · D. R. Congo, Mangbetu Complex, Uele / Momvu · ID: 3051880
Klaus-Jochen Krüger, Hamburg, Germany (2007)
Didier Claes, Brussels, Belgium (2009)
Description
wood, rest., base
Figure of strikingly athletic build with elongated upper body and arms, extremely broad shoulders and strong calves. There are formally comparable figures from the Uele region that were collected early on. Cf. AHDRC 0033449 (collected by Italian missionaries before 1900) and AHDRC 0144136 (from the holdings of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, acquired in 1912).
In keeping with the ideal of beauty of the Mangbetu aristocracy, this figure shows an elongated skull. The rather rare figures of the Mangbetu appeared individually or in pairs and can be regarded as representations of ancestors.
The object Standing male figure with the object ID 3051880 was last part of the auction Auction 104 at April 12, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 367 achieved a sales price of EUR 8,500.
You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.
Publications
BRAFA - 54th Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair, Brussels, Belgium, 23 January -1 February 2009
AHDRC: 0033513