Standing power figure "phuungu" · D. R. Congo, Yaka · ID: 3042115
sold
EUR 2,600
Provenance
Arnold Bamert, Solothurn, SwitzerlandZemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 28 June 2014, lot 531
Bernhard Jäger, Frankfurt a. M., Germany
Size
H: 33 cm
H: 13.0 inch
Description
wood, middle brown patina, black paint, the body enclosed by a package filled with magical mass, two small packages with inserted feathers in place of the arms, min. dam., minor missing parts (headgear, right thigh), min. abrasion, base;
a “phuungu” is owned by the head of a patrilineal kin group and may pass from father to son. Its primary function is to protect against witches and other enemies and for this purpose it is often positioned on the wall near the roof supports in the interior of a dwelling.
Comparing literature
Bourgeois, Arthur P., Art of the Yaka and Suku, Paris 1984, p. 208 f.
Publications
AHDRC: 0142034