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an image of a wooden sculpture of a man ' s head in a wicker basketa brown basket with a brown handle and a brown hat on ita close up of a sculpture of a man ' s head on top of a wooden stickan old wicker basket with a wooden handle on a black background
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Estimate €800 - €1,000
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Description
SANGU Reliquary 20th century. Height: 67 cm (including 25 cm for the basket). An IR spectroscopy dating certificate (G. Matthaes patent) from the Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Milan, no. 6AF-3700, indicates the date as 1943 ± 8 years. Hardwood core with copper and brass plating. Circular eyes made of bone. Wicker basket covered with coconut-fibre fabric and cord. The head is small in comparison with the rest of the structure. The brow ridges are marked by strips of copper veneer. The elongated neck is covered with strips of copper veneer and wears a circular iron necklace. The headdress ends in three buns covered with strips of copper and brass veneer. Provenance: Pierre Redouin Collection. Description: Like the Lumbu and the Kota, the Sangu practise ancestor worship using bone reliquaries consisting of a carved wooden figure placed in a basket containing the bones of ancestors. The reliquary is not merely religious; it is also political. Possession of the clan’s ancestral bones legitimises the authority of the clan chief. The reliquary was brought out during times of crisis (epidemics, war, famine) or for fertility rites.
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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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