Kota Ngulu reliquary figure
African art at the service of ancestors
The African statue with amazing shapes that I am offering you here was used to protect the bones of an ancestor. Called Mbulu Ngulu or Boho na Bwete depending on whether they come from the Kota (pl. Bakota) of the Republic of Congo or Gabon.
These guardian statues are always composed in the same way even if stylistic variations exist of course. Available in two dimensions, these stylized figures are covered with brass and copper. In order to reactivate its protective powers, it seems that the descendants rubbed its back with sand.
Stuck in a reliquary basket containing the bones, eyes wide open scan the bush in order to protect the ancestor against bad luck. The Mbulu Ngulu also served as an intermediary between the living and the dead.
The copy that I am offering you here has a small gap on the edge of one of the legs, see photos.
Cf. Kota art - reliquary figures, A. and F. CHAFFIN, 1979
02017
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Circa 1970
- Size
- 49 cm
- Ethnic group
- Material(s)
- Wood, metal
- Country
- Origin
- Tribal art collection France
- Stand
- Not included
- Condition
- Bon
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African art at the service of ancestors
The African statue with amazing shapes that I am offering you here was used to protect the bones of an ancestor. Called Mbulu Ngulu or Boho na Bwete depending on whether they come from the Kota (pl. Bakota) of the Republic of Congo or Gabon.
These guardian statues are always composed in the same way even if stylistic variations exist of course. Available in two dimensions, these stylized figures are covered with brass and copper. In order to reactivate its protective powers, it seems that the descendants rubbed its back with sand.
Stuck in a reliquary basket containing the bones, eyes wide open scan the bush in order to protect the ancestor against bad luck. The Mbulu Ngulu also served as an intermediary between the living and the dead.
The copy that I am offering you here has a small gap on the edge of one of the legs, see photos.
Cf. Kota art - reliquary figures, A. and F. CHAFFIN, 1979