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Consulter la cote et le prix de Kota Pair Of Reliquaries, mid 20th century



Description : Additional Information: This , exceptional pair of standing figures comes from the Kota of Gabon. Both , figures have striated bodies covered with plaster. In many places, this plaster is worn away . Among the Kota and Mahongwe such , figures represent the the founders of the lineage and are , center pieces in the ancestor cult. Ancestor worship formed the core of the Kota peoples' religious and social life. At the death of a chief, parts of his body would be decorated with metal and rubbed with magical powders. These would be kept in baskets surmounted by stylized figures which the Europeans called naja because they resembled the head of an erect cobra. The figures were covered with copper or brass. At the time of the initiation into the secret society, each clan's chief would dance, holding the reliquary. The reliquaries were kept outside homes, and only the initiates of the lineage had access to this sacred place. The MaHongwe are linked to the Kota but have developed their own style often identified as 'naja', a European term of identification. The larger figures represented the founder of the lineage and the smaller a descendent of the lineage. The formal sculptural presentation of the figures was often enhanced by brass sheets worked in a repousse technique (sheet metal worked by pressure from the rear to form a design) and by brass metal strips worked in design across the face of the sculpture. (See Kerchache et al's ART OF AFRICA) Numbering about 30,000, the Kota share language and culture with a constellation of smaller ethnic groups living in Gabon and along the western reaches of the People's Republic of the Congo. The focal point of Bwete rituals are reliquary containers made of bark or basketry holding magical objects or the bones of ancestors. On top of these baskets would be placed the often quite abstract metal-covered statues. These figures also served to protect the relics from malicious actions of witches and malefactors and themselves were handled with care and reverence.It is in the stylistic development of the heads where regional and ethnic variations are most apparent. Complete figures will range from approximately 30 to 60 centimeters in height.  ,I have examined this pair and agree with the description. Niangi Batulukisi, PhD.  ,
Prix: 0.00 USD 🔓Accès libre sans carte bancaire.
Estimations(basse-haute) : 950 USD-1200 USD 🔓Accès libre sans carte bancaire.

À propos du lot n° 54731
Titre : Kota Pair Of Reliquaries, PÉRIODE : mid 20th century
Medium : wood, plaster, pigment, oxidation, traces of metal (iron, copper)
Dimensions : male: 22.5 inches H. , Female 21 inches
Condition report : Poor. Most ofour pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners. Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use. We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings. Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage. Cracks with repairs in hairstyle of both figures, severe cracks in female head and along one side of the body, female base cracked and repaired with glue, large crack in male's head to the back, bodies covered with plaster, plaster coming out in places
Africa Direct, Salle de vente , Denver, US 🔓Accès libre sans carte bancaire.
Titre de la vente : Vintage and Contemporary African Art, Textiles, Beads and Baskets
Date de la vente : 25/08/2015 🔓Accès libre sans carte bancaire.
Référence de l'enchère : Live Sale

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