Kneeling female memorial figure
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Kneeling female memorial figure
D. R. Congo, Yombe
| Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial Collection, Liège, Belgium Paul Gilman, Liège, Belgium Alain Guisson, Brussels, Belgium (1990) Robert Lewitzki, Celle, Germany |
H: 19.9 inch | This object is not available anymore. |
light wood, paint, rest.
These realistic representations are memorial figures intended to commemorate particularly deserving deceased persons, without aiming at portrait resemblance.
Kecskési reports that they were kept in the house of the head of the family, while comparable figures of the dead painted with white kaolin were placed on gravesites under a shelter.
In the publication "Kongo Kingdom Art" by Marc Leo Felix, whitened figures of the dead are photographically documented (Felix, 2003, p. 278, ill. 8,13). According to him, the figures were first placed over the graves and after the decay of the grave houses, they were brought into the family home.
Celler Schloß, Gotische Halle: "Afrikanische Kunst, Sammlung Robert Lewitzki", 10. Juli - 31 August 2012
