Lot 0230

Squatting male figure - D. R. Congo, Bembe

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Squatting male figure - D. R. Congo, Bembe

Item Details

Description

wood, white porcelain inlay, base

Particularly finely carved figure with the typical extensive scarification patterns on the belly and chest.

The Bembe make use of two main types of figures: power figures used by diviners to cure ailments and ancestral figures, used to represent and honour deceased community leaders.

The Bembe believe that small wooden anthropomorphic figures are a representation of themselves and anyone with the financial means (usually chiefs and successful hunters) can commission the carving of a figure. The carved figure is generally called "nkumba" by the Bembe.

Upon the death of a figure's owner, pieces of the individual's corpse are mixed with medicines and magic substances ("bilongo"). This mixture is then inserted into a small carved hole near the rectum of the figure. By inserting the mixture and sealing the hole with a wooden plug and / or cloth wrapping, the "nkumba" figure receives the spirit of the ancestor and is thus transformed into a "nkiteki" ancestor figure (pl. "biteki", in some sources also called "mukuya").
H: 13,5 cm, H: 5,3 inch

Provenance:
Gerard Wahl Boyer, Paris, France
Stephane Grusenmeyer, Brussels, Belgium

Continent: Africa

Condition

See description

Buyer's Premium

Squatting male figure - D. R. Congo, Bembe

Name: Squatting male figure - D. R. Congo, Bembe
SKU: 174170571
Price: 8000 EUR
Availability: InStock

Estimate €8,000 - €15,000

See Sold Price

Starting Price €8,000

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Kunstauktionshaus Zemanek-Muenster

Wurzburg, Germany

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Auction Curated By

Dr. David ZemanekExpert for African and Oceanic Art

Howard NowesExpert for Pre-Columbian and Classical Antiquities