Head sculpture

Description

ivory, shiny patina, the form of the head typical for the Mangbetu, min. dam., minor missing part (left ear), cracks, on acrylic base;
presumably deriving from a harp “kundi”. Harps once owned by Mangbetu court musicians incorporate valuable materials such as ivory or elaborate carvings. Mangbetu elders today claim that figural carvings on the harps head like the present, depict Queen Nenzima, who was chief adviser of four kings between 1875 and 1926.