Description
TSOGO
Portico in the nzimba of a Tsogho temple
20th century.
Height: 210 cm; Width: 116 cm
An IR spectroscopy dating certificate (G. Matthaes patent) from the Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Milan, no. 6AF-3774, indicates the date 1937 ± 8 years.
Two vertical posts joined at the top by a horizontal board, the ends of which are fitted into each vertical post (mortise and tenon joint).
Provenance:
Pierre Redouin Collection.
Bibliography:
The nzimba contains an altar (ndèmbé) situated towards the back of the temple (ébandza).
The posts framing the entrance to the nzimba (the Holy of Holies) are not merely supporting pillars; they are spiritual sentinels. Unlike the central post (ebanzie), which represents the axis of the world, each of these posts is personalised with a face. One represents the first male ancestor (Nzambé-Kana), the other the first female ancestor (Disumba) of humanity, with the characteristic features of Tsogho art: a rounded forehead, white kaolin, and almond-shaped eyes. Their gazes are directed towards the temple’s nave. Their presence serves as a reminder to the living that the primordial ancestors are present at the ceremonies and judge the purity of the participants’ intentions. Each post is treated as a stylised human body. The trunk (i.e. the shaft of the post) represents the ancestor’s body. It is engraved with geometric patterns (rhombuses, triangles) reminiscent of traditional scarification. The base is firmly anchored in the temple ground, symbolising the unbreakable bond between the present lineage and the ancestors. The posts are covered with black dots (drops of gum) which are not merely decorative. They represent the stars, but also the ‘drops of knowledge’ that the initiate receives during their journey under iboga. When the officiant passes between these two posts to enter the nzimba, they symbolically leave the material world to enter the spirit world. These posts are believed to possess magical power. They protect the contents of the nzimba (the relics) from the uninitiated or malevolent spirits. The nzimba’s posts are thus the gatekeepers of the invisible: if an uninitiated person were to attempt to cross this threshold, it was believed that the power contained within the wood of the post could strike them with illness and death.
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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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