Lightwood Male Statue with Snake Vertebrae Belt and Necklace, Mangbetu People, DRC
1st half 20th C
Wood, organic material
61 x 14 x 14 cm
24 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in
24 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in
€ 7,500.00
Further images
The Mangbetu people once reigned over a flourishing kingdom in northeastern Congo. Hence their traditional art flourished around the court. Their very rare figural sculptures are reminders of important ancestors...
The Mangbetu people once reigned over a flourishing kingdom in northeastern Congo. Hence their traditional art flourished around the court. Their very rare figural sculptures are reminders of important ancestors of the ruling aristocracy. They used to belong to secret societies and were kept in secret places.The Mangbetu nobility had a special ideal of beauty, which involved the artificial deformation of the occipital bone, resulting in an ‘elongated’ skull. For this purpose, children’s heads were tightly wrapped with raffia strings.
Le peuple Mangbetu régna autrefois sur un royaume florissant dans le nord-est du Congo. Ainsi, leur art traditionnel se développa autour de la cour royale. Leurs sculptures figuratives, très rares, rappellent d’importants ancêtres de l’aristocratie dirigeante. Elles appartenaient autrefois à des sociétés secrètes et étaient conservées dans des lieux cachés.
La noblesse Mangbetu avait un idéal particulier de beauté, qui impliquait la déformation artificielle de l’os occipital, donnant ainsi au crâne une forme « allongée ». À cette fin, la tête des enfants était étroitement enveloppée de cordelettes en raphia.