Third Quarter of the XX Century.
Description:
A true sculptural masterpiece, this seat expresses at the highest level the great ability achieved over the centuries by the sculptors of the Luba ethnic group of eastern Congo. The two ancestors, whose images are almost identical but sexually differentiated, support the circular seat on their fingertips with a graceful gesture.
The faces are hieratic and absorbed, with eyes half-closed in wide sockets and a vague smile conveying a composed serenity. The hairstyle of the hair leans back, the smooth-surfaced bodies bear the scarifications that identify ethnicity. Remarkable patina of use. As a whole, the sculpture communicates a great sense of balance and harmony.
CODE: OGANOG0257497
Dimensions: 57 x 42 x 33 cm
Historical Stylistic Analysis:
In Africa, the chieftain’s seat, however richly carved, is usually of reduced height to maintain the link with Mother Earth. The image of the progenitor represents the ancestress who metaphorically âsupportsâ her descendant, the ruler, for whom the use of carved seats is reserved. The female figure highlights all the references to fertility: the breasts, the belly, the sex. In this seat, which is much less frequent, the male figure also appears. The two ancestors acting as âcaryatidsâ in metaphorically bearing the weight of their respective social roles, manifest the interaction and complementarity of men and women within the community.
Bibliography:
âArts traditionnels et histoire au Zaireâ, François Neyt, Ed. SociĂ©tĂ© dâArts Primitifs e Institut SupĂ©rior dâArchĂ©ologie et dâHistoire de lâArt, Bruxelles, 1981.
âMemory. Luba art and the making of historyâ, Ed. Center for African art, New York, 1996.
âLubaâ, François Neyt, Ed. MusĂ©e Dapper, 1993.
âLuba visions dâAfriqueâ, Mary Nooter Roberts e Alleen F. Roberts, Ed. 5 Continents, 2007.
- Chief’s chair with two wooden ancestor figures (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Antiques, Art and Design
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