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The Bakongo ethnic group is certainly one of the best known in African art from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bakongo sculptors are renowned for their remarkable artistic heritage.
During the Evangelization missions, objects of worship such as crucifixes and representations of the Virgin became integrated into Kongo culture.
Kongo figures are highly codified, and Christian symbolism has gradually given way to traditional Kongo symbolism, linked to the world of ancestors and that of the living.
Studies have revealed that European missionaries commissioned Virgins and crucifixes from local sculptors.
Data sheet
The Bakongo ethnic group is certainly one of the best known in African art from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bakongo sculptors are renowned for their remarkable artistic heritage.
During the Evangelization missions, objects of worship such as crucifixes and representations of the Virgin became integrated into Kongo culture.
Kongo figures are highly codified, and Christian symbolism has gradually given way to traditional Kongo symbolism, linked to the world of ancestors and that of the living.
Studies have revealed that European missionaries commissioned Virgins and crucifixes from local sculptors.