1 / 7
a wooden statue of a man with his hand on his china wooden statue of a man with his hand on his china wooden statue of a man with a hat on his heada wooden statue of a man sitting on a black backgrounda close up of a statue of a person with a hat ona wooden statue of a woman sitting on a stoola wooden statue of a woman with a hat on her head
Premium AGUTTES

Estimate €800 - €1,000
Sale commission
Description
HEMBA Hemba statuette (Kongo). 20th century. Height: 42 cm. A statuette carved from heavy, light brown (caramel-coloured) wood. The figure wears a traditional chief’s headdress. The upper edge of the eyes is straighter than the lower edge. The nose is slightly aquiline. The nasolabial fold is clearly defined. The figure’s posture is pensive. The figure appears to be scrutinising the future with his glass eyes, which possess both an all-seeing vision and the ability to see the past as well as the future. The mouth, carved in a highly realistic manner, seems ready to speak. The fingernails and toenails are finely carved. Provenance: Pierre Redouin Collection. Description: Iconographically serving as a vessel for the spirit of an ancestor, this ancestor statuette (singiti) conveys a profound, contemplative serenity. The overall style of this statuette is realistic. The piece as a whole exudes the great self-confidence that must be displayed during a divination consultation. This statuette combines the classic attributes found throughout the Congo Basin. The cowrie shell (Monetaria moneta) on the head is not merely an ancient form of currency; it symbolises the eye, sight and, by extension, divination. Fixed to the crown of the head, it denotes the ‘third eye’ or the seat of spiritual vision. It indicates that the statuette is capable of ‘seeing’ into the invisible world to detect the causes of misfortune or illness. The mirror represents the surface of the water, which forms the barrier between the world of the living and that of the ancestors (the underworld or underwater realm). It serves to ward off evil. By carrying a mirror, the statuette acts as a spiritual shield: it captures the gaze of sorcerers or malevolent spirits and reflects their own image back at them, thereby neutralising them. Held in the arms of a statue, it enables the diviner to ‘read’ the truth hidden behind appearances. The shell crowning the mirror reinforces its symbolism. In local belief, water is the dwelling place of the spirits of the earth and the ancestors. Placed at the top of the mirror, it crowns the object as a source of life and fertility. It links the statue’s power to the authority of the primordial ancestors who come from ‘the other shore’. The addition of these attributes makes this work an object of active mediation. It is ‘charged’ to act. The statue becomes a channel. It expresses the chief’s or seer’s ability to navigate between the visible and the invisible in order to protect their community.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale The Breath of the Spirits: The Collection of Pierre Redouin and Others
Auction location
Auction time 09/24/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like