Songye Community Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo

with a small tuft of Domestic Goat (Capra hircus) hair remaining tacked to the proper right side of the head.

Sotheby's London, December 11, 1978, lot 237
Joseph Christiaens junior, Brussels
Stefan Grusenmeyer, Brussels, acquired from the above
Merton D. Simpson, New York, presumably acquired from the above
Allan Stone, New York, acquired from the above

Museum for African Art, New York, To Cure and Protect: Sickness and Health in African Art, February 7 - August 31, 1997 (extended until September 14, 1997)
The Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, Power Incarnate: Allan Stone's Collection of Sculpture from the Congo, May 14 - September 4, 2011 

John McKesson, "Les Expositions", Arts d'Afrique Noire, No. 102, Summer 1997, p. 56
Frank Herreman, To Cure and Protect: Sickness and Health in African Art, New York, 1999, p. 10
François Neyt, Songye : la redoutable statuaire songye d'Afrique centrale, Brussels, 2004, p. 201, pl. 170 
François Neyt, Songye: the Formidable Statuary of Central Africa, New York, 2009, p. 201, pl. 170 
Kevin D. Dumouchelle, Power Incarnate: Allan Stone's Collection of Sculpture from the Congo, Greenwich, Connecticut, 2011, p. 56, cat. 33

Good condition for an object of this rare type and great age. Figure is partially hollow with a continuous channel running through the full height to a hole in the top of the head, originally a network for the insertion of bishimba (magical substances) and now eroded by insect damage. A metal plate covers an opening to the middle front of the abdomen, a native repair showing that the figure continued to be used after sustaining the insect damage. Open cavity to proper right base of the neck extending into a crack on the sternum. Crack continuing down proper right side of stomach. Loss to front lower part of the figure. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, wear, chips, and small holes. Metal with dents, creases, and oxidation. Cracks and losses to metal plates on the face, with remains of vegetal adhesive. Exceptionally fine glossy varied dark brown patina. Textile attachments are fragile with losses, holes, tears, and fraying.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This large and potent figure, constructed in a remarkably cubistic style, conveys the solidity and strength of a protective ancestor-spirit.  The muscular structure of the torso is defined in geometric planes, with a particularly elegant rendering of the powerful shoulder blades and descending spine on the reverse.  A network of channels for the insertion of bishimba intersects the figure, from the head through the vertical length of the body, connecting to the mouth and umbilicus; the lower part of the figure has eroded around this channel over time.  Its great age is shown also by the metal plate in the chest, a native repair to earlier erosion.

For a closely related figure by the same hand, see Neyt 2004: 240-241, cat. no. 204.