A Fine Bembe Female Ancestor Figure, Republic of the Congo

biteke, standing on enlarged domed feet, the female figure with protruding breasts and elaborate scarification on the abdomen, the hands cupped in an offering gesture, the elegant face with protruding jaw, porcelain inset eyes and a sunken C-shaped motif inside the coiffure; fine varied dark brown patina with traces of light pigment.

Robert Duperrier, Paris
Acquired from the above, 1960s

Washington, D.C., Museum of African Art, African Art in Washington Collections, May 25, 1972 - January 1, 1973

Museum of African Art 1972: 42, cat. 309

This figure can be attributed to a master carver distinguished by the dome shaped feet, the elaborate scarification on the abdomen, the shape and position of the breasts, the proportion of the arms as well as the treatment of the head. Most notably, sculptures by this artist always have a coiffure with a C-shaped sunken motif on one side of the head. For another example by the same hand cf. Sotheby’s Paris, December 3, 2004, lot 138.