Sikasingo Bembe Kalunga janus head
Worship of ancestors in pre-Bembe African art
Belgian african art collection, François-Charles, L. Bazelaire
An exceptional object offered at an incredible price, take note. The last owner of this piece, the painter and sculptor Charles François Bazelaire (see photo), was seduced by the cubist aspect of this piece, combined with its ritual use.
Rare African wooden head with two back-to-back faces. These are very distinctive, with angular shapes whose rim is crenellated in reference to the ancestor's beard. One observes residues of crusty patina, witness to intense ritual use. Heads like this are called kalunga or ase'a.
We find there the typology of the full-length commemorative statues sculpted by the Basikasingo - Buyo, also known under the name of pre-Bembé.
The unique and exceptional character of this piece lies in the degree of stylization of the piece and the sculptural mastery, higher than what I have observed on the other existing copies. It comes from the province of Maniema. In its village of origin, it was exhibited only in a special box intended to accommodate statues and commemorative coins.
Reference: Statuary from the pre-Bembe hunters: Issues in the interpretation of ancestral figurines ascribed to Basikasingo-Bembe-Boyo, D. P. BIEBUYCK.
02016
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- 18,5 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- François C. Bazelaire, painter and sculptor, Bruxelles
- Stand
- Included
- Condition
- Museal object
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Worship of ancestors in pre-Bembe African art
Belgian african art collection, François-Charles, L. Bazelaire
An exceptional object offered at an incredible price, take note. The last owner of this piece, the painter and sculptor Charles François Bazelaire (see photo), was seduced by the cubist aspect of this piece, combined with its ritual use.
Rare African wooden head with two back-to-back faces. These are very distinctive, with angular shapes whose rim is crenellated in reference to the ancestor's beard. One observes residues of crusty patina, witness to intense ritual use. Heads like this are called kalunga or ase'a.
We find there the typology of the full-length commemorative statues sculpted by the Basikasingo - Buyo, also known under the name of pre-Bembé.
The unique and exceptional character of this piece lies in the degree of stylization of the piece and the sculptural mastery, higher than what I have observed on the other existing copies. It comes from the province of Maniema. In its village of origin, it was exhibited only in a special box intended to accommodate statues and commemorative coins.
Reference: Statuary from the pre-Bembe hunters: Issues in the interpretation of ancestral figurines ascribed to Basikasingo-Bembe-Boyo, D. P. BIEBUYCK.