Very Early lightwood Male Statue with Snake Vertebrae Belt and Necklace. Mangbetu People, DR Congo
first half 20th C
Wood
Organic material
Organic material
61 x 14 x 14 cm
€ 7,500.00
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The Mangbetu people once reigned over a flourishing kingdom in northeastern Congo. Hence their traditional art flourished around the court. Their very rare figural sculptures are reminders of important ancestors...
The Mangbetu people once reigned over a flourishing kingdom in northeastern Congo. Hence their traditional art flourished around the court. Their very rare figural sculptures are reminders of important ancestors of the ruling aristocracy. They used to belong to secret societies and were kept in secret places.The Mangbetu nobility had a special ideal of beauty, which involved the artificial deformation of the occipital bone, resulting in an ‘elongated’ skull. For this purpose, children’s heads were tightly wrapped with raffia strings.