Figure masculine debout "lomba" ou "kambei" ·  Sierra Leone, Mendé · ID: 3043642

Description

wood, black patina, color accents in red and green, elaborate carved, slightly dam., insect caused missing parts, rep. (breakage at the left foot), base.
Originally mostly female figures were used for ritual acts in the different secret societies in Mendeland. Pairs of figures of both sexes were assigned by the ethnologist W. A. Hart, the “njayei” society. The “njayei” spirits draw their powers from the water, “nja” is the Mende word for water.
The figural couples of male and female are known as “lomba” and “kambei”. They are said to represent both deceased members of the association and, in some sense, the associations ancestral spirits, possibly the original founders of the local chapter.

L’objet Figure masculine debout “lomba” ou “kambei” avec l’ID d’objet 3043642 a fait partie de l’enchère 88e vente aux enchères Tribal Art en 10 mars 2018 pour la dernière fois le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes et avait le numéro de lot 135.

Vous trouverez d’autres Figures et autres types d’objets populaires sur nos pages thématiques associées. Notre page sur le thème Art africain pourrait également vous intéresser.

Littérature comparée

Hart, W.A.,Sculptures of the Njayei Society among the Mende, in: African Arts (26/ No. 3), July 1993, p. 46-53

Publications

AHDRC: 0112902