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BLANCHET & Associés
262
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Lega figure, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, kaolin, H.
See original version (French)
262
-
Lega figure, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, kaolin, H.
See original version (French)
Estimate €400 - €600
Voluntary lot
Description
Lega figure, Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, kaolin, H.31cmxW.7cm (plinth). Compared to masquettes, wooden statuettes are relatively rare in the Lega art corpus. Even rarer are those that, as here, have no arms, bringing to a climax the symbolic conception of the body in the Léga universe and the power of the formal solutions invented by their artists. According to Biebuyck (in Tervuren, 1995: 379), these statuettes were probably part of the collective baskets reserved for initiation rites to the highest ranks of the bwami association. Considered "as 'sacred goods' of collective ownership, they were powerful expressions of solidarity and the maintenance of social cohesion". Each represented a character, embodying during the rituals the moral values conveyed by the bwami.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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