PUNU
PUNU
A pair of guardian ancestors.
20th century.Height: 49 cm.An IR spectroscopy dating certificate (G. Matthaes patent) from the Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Milan, no. 3AD-2794, indicates the date as 1936 ± 6 years.Light-coloured wood, with a worn white kaolin patina covering the entire body and a brown patina on the ventral, frontal and temporal scarifications.The figures are finely carved and feature distinctive protective ventral scarifications (mabinda) which enabled the souls of the ancestors to recognise their own kin and protect them. The eyes are almond-shaped (like coffee beans), the nose is slender and the mouth full, in keeping with Punu standards of beauty.The female figure wears a simple bowl-shaped headdress. However, bun hairstyles were not the exclusive preserve of women; they were also worn by men: the male figure, whose genitals are symbolically emphasised, wears a double bun. The figure stands with bent knees, ready to spring into action to protect the family clan from potential sorcerers.
PUNU
A pair of guardian ancestors.
20th century.Height: 49 cm.An IR spectroscopy dating certificate (G. Matthaes patent) from the Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Milan, no. 3AD-2794, indicates the date as 1936 ± 6 years.Light-coloured wood, with a worn white kaolin patina covering the entire body and a brown patina on the ventral, frontal and temporal scarifications.The figures are finely carved and feature distinctive protective ventral scarifications (mabinda) which enabled the souls of the ancestors to recognise their own kin and protect them. The eyes are almond-shaped (like coffee beans), the nose is slender and the mouth full, in keeping with Punu standards of beauty.The female figure wears a simple bowl-shaped headdress. However, bun hairstyles were not the exclusive preserve of women; they were also worn by men: the male figure, whose genitals are symbolically emphasised, wears a double bun. The figure stands with bent knees, ready to spring into action to protect the family clan from potential sorcerers.
