A superb Pre-Bembe Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo

standing on parted legs, the male figure with the left arm resting on the abdomen, the right arm (forearm missing) originally holding a staff, the oval head with triangular jaw, beard, oval mouth, triangular nose bisecting almond shaped eyes, and a domed forehead; exceptionally fine encrusted medium to dark brown patina.

Collected in situ by Pierre Dartevelle
Ader-Picard-Tajan, Paris, March 11, 1974, lot 86
Belgian Private Collection
Fred Jahn, Munich

Iowa City, The University of Iowa Museum of Art, Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, March 27 - May 23, 1999 (for additional venues see bibliography, Roy 1997)

François Neyt, Art traditional et Histoire au Zaïre: Cultures Forestières et Royaumes de la Savane, Louvain, 1981, pp. 304-305, fig. XV.3
Christopher D. Roy, Kilengi: African Art from the Bareiss Family Collection, Seattle, 1997, pp. 172-173 and 361, fig. 99
--, Kilengi. Afrikanische Kunst aus der Sammlung Bareiss, Hanover, 1997, pp. 176-177 and 365, fig. 99

good condition overall; right forearm missing, as seen on photographs, a small hole close to break line indicating a formerly existing ancient repair, age crack through left side of body, knot in chest; exceptionally fine encrusted medium to dark brown patina with partial losses to encrustation.
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.

The Bareiss figure belongs to a group of figures from a workshop first identified by De Grunne (2001, 202-203: figs. 57 and 58). Roy (1997: 361, text to fig. 99) notes: "As among the Hemba, these figures memorialize local heads of clans and village chiefs as well as other people of great achievement. The Basi Kasingo are not a separate ethnic unit but a clan of the larger Bembe and Boyo peoples. Allen F. Roberts has written eloquently about the way the concept of the dividing line, for example the watershed or horizon line, is reflected in the art of the Tabwa, who live nearby. He says that the vertical midline is poetically called mulalambo, or 'where the buffalo sleeps.' Mulalambo refers variously to watersheds, the horizon line of Lake Tanganyika, the Milky Way, and other lines of demarcation that define symmetry and balance. Scarification of this sort perfects the body, establishing a metaphorical, harmonious relationship between the cosmos and the individual's physical and social being (Roberts 1988: 48)."