BOYO FEMALE POWER FIGURE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Marcia and Irwin Hersey, New York
Sotheby's New York, November 10, 1987, lot 78
Armand Arman (born Armand Pierre Fernandez, 1928-2005), New York, acquired at the above auction
Michael Oliver, New York, acquired from the above
Robert Rubin, New York, acquired from the above in October 1998

Musée d'Arts Africains, Océaniens, Amérindiens, Marseille, African Faces, African Figures: The Arman Collection, June 23 - October 30, 1996; additional venues:
Musée National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, Paris, December 3, 1996 - February 17, 1997
Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Museum für Völkerkunde, Cologne, March - August, 1997
Museum for African Art, New York, October 9, 1997 - April 19, 1998

Musées de Marseille, Arman & l'art africain, Paris, 1996, p. 94, cat. 43
Museum for African Art, African Faces, African Figures: the Arman Collection, New York, 1997, p. 183, cat. 172
 

Very good condition for an object of this type and age. Age cracks to figure's proper left hip and to base near proper right foot. Small loss to proper right eyebrow as seen in photographs. Cavity at top of head worn from ritual use. Some small holes (insect damage) including one at top left center of mask. Small marks, nicks, scratches and abrasions consistent with age and use. Exceptionally fine varied dark brown patina with oily residue. Oxidation to two metal rings around neck. Underside with felt pads, a white sticker with the number "171", a plastic black tag with "AF33", and remains of another sticker.
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.

According to Hélène Joubert in her discussion of the Rubin Boyo statuette in the exhibition catalog African Faces, African Figures: the Arman Collection (MfAA 1997: 217-218, text to cat. 172), "[Boyo] statuary, objects of great care, exclusively represent ancestral kings. [...] This stern faced figure has a body with angular shoulders, amphoral torso marked by scarifications radiating from the navel, framed by thin arms and resting on very short legs of rounded volumes which link the ensemble to objects of Hemba production. The head, quite voluminous, nonetheless possesses traits more attributable to the Buyu of Kivu Province, given the circular and globular aspect of the eyes, seemingly deprived of sight."

The small scale as well as traces of ritual practice on the head of the Rubin Boyo figure suggest that it served as a power figure, possibly used by a diviner to invoke his royal ancestors.