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MILLON
151
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Katatora" friction Oracle with stepped headpiece
Wood, old r…
See original version (French)
151
-
Katatora" friction Oracle with stepped headpiece
Wood, old r…
See original version (French)
Estimate €200 - €300
Voluntary lot
Description
Katatora" friction Oracle
with stepped headpiece
Wood, old russet and brown patina, marks of use
Luba, Democratic Republic of Congo
12 × 4 × 5 cm
Katatora' friction oracles were used by Luba diviners for consultations relating to protection, illness or important lineage decisions. They were used in mediation and divination.
This piece features a face of great inner intensity, whose concentrated expression seems to reflect the diviner's attention at the moment of consultation. The carefully structured layered headdress, the marks of ancient use and the finesse of the modelling reinforce the deeply inhabited character of this sculpture. As a whole, it exudes a restrained and particularly expressive presence.
Provenance :
Collected in Katanga (Belgian Congo) between 1952 and 1970 by Charles Mahauden, a Belgian colonial administrator nicknamed Kisongokimo by the Grand Chief of the Baluba.
Author of : Mahauden, Charles, Kisongokimo - Chasse et magie chez les Balubas, Paris, Flammarion, coll. "L'Aventure vécue", 1965, 252 p.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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