Small standing figure · R. D. Congo, Lega · ID: 3037840
Lempertz Brussels, 25. April 2009, lot 116
Description
ivory, honey brown patina, hollowed inside, abraded surface, facial features hardly recognizable, min.dam., small missing parts, base;
the almost fossilized ivory is proof of the piece’s great age;
such figures are manipulated in diverse ways during rituals, being arranged in configurations (including placement facing in different directions) or held during dancing. The ivory may be rubbed with oil or perfume, or else polished with sandpaper, producing a powder that may be used as a medicine. The significance of these figures can only be judged through knowledge of their use in their original ritual context, which may change with the ritual in which they are employed. They may act as signifiers of rank, marks of identity, or commemorations of ancestors.
L’objet Small standing figure avec l’ID d’objet 3037840 a fait partie de l’enchère 78th tribal art auction en 18 octobre 2014 pour la dernière fois le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes et avait le numéro de lot 440.
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Littérature comparée
Musée du Quai Branly (ed.), L' Art des Lega, Paris 2013, p. 148, ill. 124