Standing male figure "mukuya" · D. R. Congo, Bembe · ID: 3041783
German Private Collection
Walter Schmidt, Würzburg/Innsbruck, Germany/Austria
Description
wood, partly shiny brown patina, paint remains, raised scarification marks, eyes with white porcelain inlay, both hands holding a rattle, drilled hole (crypto fetish), min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, base;
the opening was used by the “nganga” to give vital force to the figure, afterwards it was filled with magical material and then closed with a piece of fabric or a plug. As long as the spirit stayed within the statue, it watched over his descendants and punished contempts against customs and rules.
The object Standing male figure “mukuya” with the object ID 3041783 was part of the auction 86th Tribal Art Auction on May 27, 2017. The object with the lot number 56 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,300 with an asking price of EUR 1,500.
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Publications
AHDRC: 00128074