Large Hemba Singiti Ancestor Figure - SOLD OUT
Monoxyl wood statue with imposing dimensions. Its height of 75 centimeters classifies it among the major pieces of Hemba art, several examples of which are visible at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels, owner of the largest public collection in the world of objects from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. .
This ancestor figure testifies to the sculptural mastery of its author. The face of impressive balance has features of striking realism. The piercing gaze is surrounded by raised arcades. The nose is very aesthetic. Classically, an embossed beard decorated the lower part of the face. The neck here is ringed and long, resting on a strong trunk with a prominent abdomen. The legs are however short in order to let the face express itself fully.
Statues of this type, called Singiti, are specific to Hemba art. Until the 1970s specialists considered the latter as part of Luba art until historians differentiated these cultures.
This early harvested Hemba Singiti statue has visibly suffered some horrors of time since the left arm had to be lightly restored. A brace is also on the superb cross headdress. These shortcomings and restorations, however, add a living character to this exceptional piece.
Representing an ancestor, it was transmitted to us by a collector of objects from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
00931
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- 75 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection Belgium
- Condition
- Very good
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Monoxyl wood statue with imposing dimensions. Its height of 75 centimeters classifies it among the major pieces of Hemba art, several examples of which are visible at the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels, owner of the largest public collection in the world of objects from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. .
This ancestor figure testifies to the sculptural mastery of its author. The face of impressive balance has features of striking realism. The piercing gaze is surrounded by raised arcades. The nose is very aesthetic. Classically, an embossed beard decorated the lower part of the face. The neck here is ringed and long, resting on a strong trunk with a prominent abdomen. The legs are however short in order to let the face express itself fully.
Statues of this type, called Singiti, are specific to Hemba art. Until the 1970s specialists considered the latter as part of Luba art until historians differentiated these cultures.
This early harvested Hemba Singiti statue has visibly suffered some horrors of time since the left arm had to be lightly restored. A brace is also on the superb cross headdress. These shortcomings and restorations, however, add a living character to this exceptional piece.
Representing an ancestor, it was transmitted to us by a collector of objects from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.