Very rare double figure, before 1910 - Cameroon

wood, pigments, rest., insect caused damage, cracksKnud Nielsen received this sculpture as a gift from his artist friend Robert Jacobsen, whose comment about this piece was documented by Nielsen as follows: "We two old giants stand back in this artistic wilderness we have ended up in !" Jacobsen could not have expressed his deep admiration for this extremely expressive work and the artists of Africa more convincingly.There is no knowledge about the original function of this double figure due to missing sources.Known from the Bakundu are primarily much smaller figurines and double figures, which are called "mosongo". They represent a supernatural power which punishes those who swear falsely and are used in divination (cf. Gardi, 1994, p. 63 ff.). H: 44 cm, H: 17,3 inchProvenance:Robert Jacobsen, Copenhagen, DenmarkKnud Nielsen, Jelling, DenmarkLit.: Felix von Luschan, Beiträge zur Völkerkunde der Deutschen Schutzgebiete, Berlin 1897Gardi, Bernhard, Kunst in Kamerun, Basel 1994, p. 63 ff.
Condition Report: See description