Mahongwe reliquary figure
Ancestor worship in the traditional art of Gabon
Remarkable African bronze of Mahongwé origin, in Gabon, an ethnic group very close to the Kota or Bakota who practiced ancestor worship and are famous in African art for their very stylized reliquary guardians.
This character made entirely using the so-called lost wax technique watched over the relics of an ancestor whose bones were located in a basket or in a box below the guardian, as seen in the attached contextual photo .
There is a wide variety of details on the piece, both on the front and on the back. After their death, the ancestors were honored with more or less respect according to the appreciation they had left to their descendants. Thus, the piece that I propose to you is the sign that the deceased whom it honors was very appreciated by his family given its realization entirely in bronze, which is very rare, and the sculptural quality of the piece.
Otherwise, the bones could be abandoned or surmounted by a poor quality guardian.
01859
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- 50 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Bronze
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection Belgium
- Condition
- Excellent
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Ancestor worship in the traditional art of Gabon
Remarkable African bronze of Mahongwé origin, in Gabon, an ethnic group very close to the Kota or Bakota who practiced ancestor worship and are famous in African art for their very stylized reliquary guardians.
This character made entirely using the so-called lost wax technique watched over the relics of an ancestor whose bones were located in a basket or in a box below the guardian, as seen in the attached contextual photo .
There is a wide variety of details on the piece, both on the front and on the back. After their death, the ancestors were honored with more or less respect according to the appreciation they had left to their descendants. Thus, the piece that I propose to you is the sign that the deceased whom it honors was very appreciated by his family given its realization entirely in bronze, which is very rare, and the sculptural quality of the piece.
Otherwise, the bones could be abandoned or surmounted by a poor quality guardian.