Standing figure

Description

ivory, shiny patina, rising from a round base, static posture, tribe-typical head, min. dam., fine cracks through age;
figures of the Mangbetu are rare. They appear individual or in pairs and can be looked upon as representations of ancestors. The shape of the deformed head reflects the practice to bandage the childrens heads to achieve the prominent back of the head, which corresponds to the current ideal of beauty the Mangbetu aristocracy always had.