- 151
Superbe statue, Songye, République Démocratique du Congo
Description
- Songye
- Superbe statue
- haut. 61 cm
- 24 in
Provenance
Collection Röthlingshöfer, Bâle
Pierre Dartevelle, Bruxelles
Collection Monsieur et Madame Grassi, Bruxelles
Literature
Neyt, La redoutable statuaire Songye d'Afrique Centrale, 2004 : 63
Condition
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Dans son ouvrage consacré à La redoutable statuaire Songye d'Afrique Centrale, François Neyt rattache cette très belle statue nkisi à la deuxième tradition occidentale, et plus précisément à l'un des deux ateliers de la région des Belande septentrionaux. Tout en définissant comme principale caractéristique de cette tradition la représentation de la bouche, largement ouverte et aux dents apparentes, qu'il interprète comme "l'énergie redoutable de la magie, de la contre-sorcellerie" (idem : 308), Neyt identifie au sein de ce corpus plusieurs ateliers, profondément originaux.
Parmi eux se distingue en particulier un atelier des Belande septentrionaux, dont la statue présentée ici constitue, du point de vue sculptural, l'un des exemples les plus aboutis. Sa construction en volumes anguleux inclinés en profondeur, l'exceptionnelle dynamique des volumes - jouant sur les rythmes successifs, la juxtaposition des plans et l'accentuation des points de rupture, renvoie de manière saisissante au vocabulaire qui fonda le Cubisme.
A superb Songe figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo
In his work La redoutable statuaire Songye d'Afrique Centrale, François Neyt attributes this beautiful nkisi figure to the second western tradition, and more precisely to one of the two northern workshops in the Belande region. Neyt defines the principal characteristic of this tradition as the representation of the mouth largely open and with teeth bared, which he interprets as 'the fearsome energy of magic and anti-sorcery' (ibid.: 308).
Neyt identifies several highly organised workshops within this particular tradition, amongst them the creators of the offered figure, a particularly distinguished workshop from northern Belande. Sculpturally the offered figure is certainly one of the most unusual examples, with the exceptional dynamism of its tilted, angular volumes, the play upon successive rhythems, the juxtaposition of planes and the accentuation of points of rupture recalling, in a striking manner, the vocabulary of Cubism.