Chokwe chief effigy
€380.00
Tshibinda Ilunga, the main effigy found in traditional African art from northern Angola, was a Luba prince who founded the Mwata Yamvo dynasty and was honoured by the Chokwe as a hunting and civilising hero.
The Chokwe chief Tshaute from the source of the Kasai, photographed in 1904, has this type of ceremonial headdress, with lateral wings curved back, and made of leather decorated with brass plates.
Eight original statuettes representing Tshibinda Ilunga have been identified so far. Some wear another type of headdress: with lateral wings curved upwards and made of fabric. This model can be seen on the statuette in the Museum of Anthropology in Luanda (Angola), sculpted in a more dynamic spirit: the facial features are no longer Apollonian, as on the one in Berlin, but more expressionist, and the body is clearly carried forward in an effort to walk and act. On a statuette, the facial features have a noble and expressive rendering.
The old Chokwe statuary, in the style of the country of origin, includes figures of a chief and a chief's wife.
Shipping fees
02527
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- 27 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal Art Collection Portugal
- Stand
- Included
- Condition
- Very good
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Tshibinda Ilunga, the main effigy found in traditional African art from northern Angola, was a Luba prince who founded the Mwata Yamvo dynasty and was honoured by the Chokwe as a hunting and civilising hero.
The Chokwe chief Tshaute from the source of the Kasai, photographed in 1904, has this type of ceremonial headdress, with lateral wings curved back, and made of leather decorated with brass plates.
Eight original statuettes representing Tshibinda Ilunga have been identified so far. Some wear another type of headdress: with lateral wings curved upwards and made of fabric. This model can be seen on the statuette in the Museum of Anthropology in Luanda (Angola), sculpted in a more dynamic spirit: the facial features are no longer Apollonian, as on the one in Berlin, but more expressionist, and the body is clearly carried forward in an effort to walk and act. On a statuette, the facial features have a noble and expressive rendering.
The old Chokwe statuary, in the style of the country of origin, includes figures of a chief and a chief's wife.