Standing male figure
D. R. Congo, Mangbetu Complex, Uele / Momvu
sold
EUR 8,500
Provenance
German CollectionKlaus-Jochen Krüger, Hamburg, Germany (2007)
Didier Claes, Brussels, Belgium (2009)
Size
H: 71,5 cm
H: 28.1 inch
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.
Publications
BRAFA - 54th Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair, Brussels, Belgium, 23 January -1 February 2009AHDRC: 0033513