Reliquary guardian figure "mbulu" or "mwete" ·  Gabon, Kota · ID: 3038216

Description

wood, brass sheet, copper nails and -clamps, an oval hollowed face, enlivened by metal plating from various materials, characteristic sickle-shaped coiffure and projections on both sides, the neck merging into a fragmentary diamond-shaped handle, which originally was inserted in the lid of the skull receptacle, min. dam., traces of insect caused damage (back), small missing parts, cracks, slight traces of corrosion, base;
the Kota used to fix these stylized head sculptures on top of boxes containing the skulls and bones of important ancestors. They should protect the valuable contents. Housed on a shelf outside the village, the figure was carefully polished with sand to maintain its shining surface which should keep sorcerers away.

L’objet Reliquary guardian figure “mbulu” or “mwete” avec l’ID d’objet 3038216 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères 79th Tribal Art Auction dans 21 mars 2015 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 360 a atteint un prix de vente de 3 600 €.

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