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two carved figures of a man and a womana pair of carved wooden figures of a man and womana wooden statue of a woman holding a basketa wooden statue of a woman with a hat on her heada wooden statue of a man with a hat on his heada wooden statue of a man with a hat on his heada close up of a statue of a woman with a bird on her heada wooden sculpture of a woman with a hat on her heada wooden statue of a man holding a baby in his armsa wooden statue of a man standing in front of a black backgrounda wooden statue of a woman holding a baby in her arms
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41 - PUNU A pair of protective ancestral figures.
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Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Sale commission
Description
PUNU A pair of protective ancestral figures. 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 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 single-bowl headdress. However, bowl-shaped headdresses were not the exclusive preserve of women; they were also worn by men: the male figure, whose genitals are symbolically emphasised, wears a double-bowl headdress. The pair stand with their legs bent, ready to spring into action to protect the family clan from potential sorcerers. Provenance: Pierre Redouin Collection. Bibliography: Published in *Le Souffle des Esprits*, Les Éditions de l’Amateur, Pierre & Hadrien Redouin, 2012, pp. 130–131. Description: This type of pair of Punu statues, representing the spirit of ancestors and guardians of those same ancestors’ relics, served to protect the family group. The female figure holds calabashes, symbolising the prosperity and abundance that a woman is supposed to bring in a matrilineal society. Ancestor statues are generally considered to be much rarer than mukudji masks. They were, in fact, kept out of sight in the head of the family’s hut, unlike the masks, which were intended for public performance and could be discarded once the performance was over.
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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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