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a wooden statue of a man with a skull on his heada wooden statue of a man with a hat on his heada close up of a wooden figure on a black backgrounda wooden statue of a man with a helmet on his heada wooden statue of a man with a helmet on his heada wooden statue of a man with a helmet on his heada close up of a wooden statue of a person with a facea wooden statue of a man with a large head and legs
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26 - KALUNGA KABETSHI
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Estimate €1,500 - €2,000
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Description
KALUNGA KABETSHI Fetish 20th century. Height: 48 cm. Heavy wood, pigments. Provenance: Pierre Redouin Collection. Description: Kalunga Kabetshi fetishes are ritual objects of great importance amongst the Vili people of Gabon and the Congo, as well as amongst certain related groups (Yombé, Woyo). Unlike nail fetishes (Nkisi Nkonde), which are used for justice or aggressive protection, the Kalunga Kabetshi is an object of protection and mediation linked to fertility and lineage. In Kongo/Vili cosmogony, the term ‘Kalunga’ refers to the supreme deity, the ocean (the world of the ancestors) and the horizon that separates the world of the living from that of the dead. The term ‘Kabetshi’, for its part, refers to the idea of a protective or intercessory force. The sculpture is a vessel for forces (an Nkisi). Everything about this figure conveys a sense of strength: The posture of calm and concentration (a far cry from the attacking stance of Nkisi Nkunde fetishes), the broad head, the square shoulders, the sausage-shaped arms, the massive legs, the prominent penis, and the distinctly marked dorsal ribs. The wood itself is very heavy and extremely hard. It is the sort used to make millennia-old sculptures. Frozen like an immanent force revealing itself, this statuette seems to express the infinity of God, in time and space (which is what the term ‘Kalunga’ refers to). It bears facial and abdominal scarifications whose meaning has been lost. It is one of the most benevolent objects in the Vili ritual pantheon, centred on the survival and continuity of the family. Indeed, its primary function is to protect pregnant women and ensure the good health of the unborn child. It is invoked to combat infertility or complications associated with childbirth. As an emanation of Kalunga (the ocean/the afterlife), it serves as a bridge enabling the soul of an ancestor to return and be reincarnated in a new member of the lineage.
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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
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