Standing female figure ·  D. R. Congo, Bwaka · ID: 3034476

Description

wood, blackish brown patina, the eyes inset with brass tags, compact blocky body, the heart-shaped flattened facial plane divided by a vertical nose ridge, slightly dam., missing parts (both foot tips and heels), cracks (above all backside), socle;
most of Bwaka sculptures are depictions of “seto” and “nabo”, the earliest ancestor couple. A pair of figures representing these personnages is found almost in every home as well as in many ceremonial areas.They vary in size from personal charms to almost life-sized figures.They functioned as guardians of the owners and their families and drove away the evil spirits that caused sickness and death, made crops fail and hunts go badly and brought about miscarriages.

Littérature comparée

Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk (ed.), Ubangi, Berg en Dal, 2008, p. 124