Fang Byeri Angokh Nlo reliquary head
Ancestral power in African art
Among the Fang, heads like this were exhibited during the initiation rites of the Byeri cult. They acted as symbolic substitutes for the ancestor skulls contained in the baskets or in the reliquary boxes. They are called Angokh Nlo.
Considered as members of the family, their use seems to reflect the inconstancy of human relations. Indeed, if some byeri are roughly carved and neglected, others on the contrary were lovingly coated with oil, thus testifying to the affection shown to the deceased.
In African Fang art, heads are rarer than statues. The one I am proposing to you, having belonged to François C. Bazelaire, a contemporary Belgian artist, has been well preserved and has a sometimes lustrous, sometimes crusty patina, following the various offerings made to him. Upholsterer nails are driven into the face to make the eyes. The ancestor's gaze thus shone in the darkness.
Cf. Native Forests, Arts of Atlantic Equatorial Africa, Quai Branly Museum
The Fang heads could have inspired the contemporary artist Gaston Bertrand as seen in the attached work, the simplicity of whose features seem to betray the contours of an Angokh Nlo.
01698
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- 2nd half XXth
- Size
- 35,5 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood, metal
- Country
- Origin
- François C. Bazelaire, painter and sculptor, Bruxelles
- Stand
- Included
- Condition
- Excellent
Ancestral power in African art
Among the Fang, heads like this were exhibited during the initiation rites of the Byeri cult. They acted as symbolic substitutes for the ancestor skulls contained in the baskets or in the reliquary boxes. They are called Angokh Nlo.
Considered as members of the family, their use seems to reflect the inconstancy of human relations. Indeed, if some byeri are roughly carved and neglected, others on the contrary were lovingly coated with oil, thus testifying to the affection shown to the deceased.
In African Fang art, heads are rarer than statues. The one I am proposing to you, having belonged to François C. Bazelaire, a contemporary Belgian artist, has been well preserved and has a sometimes lustrous, sometimes crusty patina, following the various offerings made to him. Upholsterer nails are driven into the face to make the eyes. The ancestor's gaze thus shone in the darkness.
Cf. Native Forests, Arts of Atlantic Equatorial Africa, Quai Branly Museum
The Fang heads could have inspired the contemporary artist Gaston Bertrand as seen in the attached work, the simplicity of whose features seem to betray the contours of an Angokh Nlo.