Standing male figure
Christie’s Amsterdam, 12 December 2000, lot 161
Description
wood, brown encrusted patina, angled shoulders, pear-shaped head with forehead scarifications and horn-like protrusion, min. dam., minor missing parts through insect caused damage, traces of abrasion, on wooden base;
present figure presumably depicting an ancestor effigy, for ancestor veneration has a place of prime importance for the Kaka. It is supervised by “wantop”, one of the members of the chieftains counsel, within the framework of the liturgies of the “mbir” male secret society. Through the great Kaka works, we can see one of the centres of the great African expressionist movement that extends from the Bénué to the Cameroonian Grassfields. The objects known so far are mostly covered with a thick patina of soot, and as a rule are male figures, as is the case with present figure.