Female power figure · D. R. Congo, Dondo · ID: 3032590
Christie’s Paris, Art Africain et Océanien, 1 décembre 2010, lot 78
Description
wood, partly encrusted middle brown shiny patina, rising from bulky feet, square cavity in the stomach for insertion of magical mass, remains of blackish clay-like mass, striking round and regular modelled facial features, eyes with a layer of blackish mass, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose), cracks, rep. (right arm and foot tip), on plate;
for a comparable figure see R. Lehuard, 1989, p. 156, ill. A 1-1.
The Dondo-Kamba are a small ethnic group belonging to the Bakongo. Their genesis is a mixture of Bakongo and Kamba which is also reflected in their art showing influences both from the Stanley-Pool area and the Bakongo proper. Like their neighbours the Bembe and Bwende, the Dondo-Kamba use anthropomorphic trumpets and also power figures. Their magical power was kept in a cylindrical package, called “bilongo”, which includes the special ingredients put together according to the needs of the person in question. The package was fixed at the abdomen because magical wisdom can be swallowed and preserved in the stomach.
Littérature comparée
Lehuard, Raoul, Art Bakongo, Les Centres de Style, o.O. 1989, p. 156, ill. A 1-1