Tomb figure "ntadi" in the shape of a drummer ·  D. R. Congo, Lower Congo province / Northern Angola, Mboma · ID: 3048252

Description

steatit (soapstone), missing parts

These figures are usually called “ntadi” (pl. “mintadi”), a term referring to the soft stone from which they are made; but they are also known as “bitumba” (sing. “tumba” ).

The “ntadi” are said to be representations of ancestors, commemorative figures of highly respected persons, that were placed on graves. The figures are not lifelike portraits, but reflections of how their patrons wanted to live on in memory.

According to other sources, they may also have served to mark land boundaries, as grave guards, or as a kind of proxy for tribal chiefs and rulers in absence.

Comparing literature

Lehuard, Raoul, Art Bakongo, Statuaire en pierre sculptée, o. J., p. 1206

Notices

This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee).