Bembe/Sikasingo/Boyo Female Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo
height 10in (25.4cm)
Provenance
Drs. John and Nicole Dintenfass Collection, New York
The art of the ancestral court is a tradition of the Bembe, Sikasingo and Boyo. This dynamic sculpture illustrates the classic style of ancestral figures from the Bembeland region, including a proportionally large, somewhat triangular/lozenge-shaped head with a broad rounded forehead, large, coffee-bean eyes, a long nose above a protuberant mouth and an incised beard-like motif; a slender body with shoulders thrusting forward leading to attenuated arms with hands resting on each hip. The legs, proportionally the same size as the head, contour in and out, adding to overall dynamism of the work; fine semi-glossy dark brown patina with wear indicative of much age and use.
Cf. Biebuyck, Daniel, "Bembe Art", African Arts, vol. 5, no. 3 (Spring 1972), pp. 12-19 and 75-84 for a discussion of the ancestral figures from Bembeland.
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height 10in (25.4cm)
Provenance
Drs. John and Nicole Dintenfass Collection, New York
The art of the ancestral court is a tradition of the Bembe, Sikasingo and Boyo. This dynamic sculpture illustrates the classic style of ancestral figures from the Bembeland region, including a proportionally large, somewhat triangular/lozenge-shaped head with a broad rounded forehead, large, coffee-bean eyes, a long nose above a protuberant mouth and an incised beard-like motif; a slender body with shoulders thrusting forward leading to attenuated arms with hands resting on each hip. The legs, proportionally the same size as the head, contour in and out, adding to overall dynamism of the work; fine semi-glossy dark brown patina with wear indicative of much age and use.
Cf. Biebuyck, Daniel, "Bembe Art", African Arts, vol. 5, no. 3 (Spring 1972), pp. 12-19 and 75-84 for a discussion of the ancestral figures from Bembeland.
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Time, Location
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