Statuette for the "m-mbwoolu-tsyo" ritual ·  D. R. Congo, Suku · ID: 3040341

Description

wood, brown patina, camwood powder “khula”, ears with drilled holes, slightly dam., abrasion of paint (nose), metal base;
statuettes used in the “m-mbwoolu-tsyo” ritual institution appear in series that can number as many as twenty figures. The variety of forms include those with missing limbs, spiralled torso, expanding body sections, janus-form, as well as surmounting figures. The series are conceptualized as the chiefs, who are related to one another in a miniature version of the traditional political structure.