Standing male figure "mukuya", before 1905
D. R. Congo, Bembe
sold
EUR 2,000
Provenance
Collected by Teofil Ceder, Svensk Afrika Mission (before 1905)Size
H: 22 cm
H: 8.7 inch
Description
wood, middle brown patina, black paint, eyes with white porcweelain inlay, characteristic elongated trunk, richly adorned with skin scarifications in relief, holding a rifle and a knife in his hands, opening (crypto fetish), min. dam., fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion;
the opening on the back was used by the “nganga” to give vital force to the figure, afterwards it was filled with magical material: “bilongo” (medicine) or relics of an ancestor as a symbol of the power and spirit of the deceased relative. Afterwards the opening was closed by 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.