Fang-Betsi or Fang-Mekè Reliquary Figure, Gabon

Pierre Langlois, Paris
Mrs. M. Mengin, Paris, 1960s or earlier
Merton D. Simpson, New York (inv. no. "3450"), by the 1970s
Drs. Daniel and Marian Malcolm, Tenafly, acquired from the above
Pace Primitive, New York, acquired from the above in 1980
Balene McCormick, Santa Fe, acquired from the above on March 3, 1982

The Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue

The Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue, depicting a female ancestor, is remarkable first for its classic Fang morphology: many of the sculptural canons of Equatorial Africa (present-day Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and southern Cameroon) are synthesized here in one figure.  Bearing a fine, aged patina, the figure is supported by an integrally-carved vertical posterior post for insertion into the lip of a cylindrical bark reliquary container (nsekh-byeri) containing the skulls of ancestors, over which the figure served as guardian.  The massive legs, in semi-seated position, are of typical Fang construction, with oblique thighs described in curvilinear volumes, extending backward with thick, bulging muscles.  The posture of the subject gives the impression of power and potency, asserting her role as the magical guardian of the ancestral relics.  The meticulously ordered construction of the figure combines the conventional stylization of certain elements (including the coiffure, jaw, mouth, shoulders, arms, torso, and lower limbs), with anatomical realism in the rendering of others (such as the nose, ears, young breasts, and prominent cylindrical navel).  The eyes were probably fitted with circular brass plates, now missing, leaving empty sockets.

The sculptural art of the Fang of Equatorial Africa is both figurative and symbolic, and is always expressed as a formal idealization of reality.  Representational sculpture, which is never a personal or anecdotal portrait, expresses meaning which is perfectly comprehensible to all members of the community who have been initiated into the system of beliefs; and especially those related to the special realm of the dead, and occult magical powers. Not all biyema byeri were of the same socio-political status; rather, this status was dependent on the social position and political alliances of the owner, and was demonstrated by the number of skulls kept in the reliquary chest.  The ancestor of the clan or lineage is always shown in full regalia with a coiffure surmounting the head, with central and lateral elements and braids falling in a ponytail, the whole representing the distinctive Fang wig cap, or nlo-o-ngo, made of fiber and rattan and decorated with cowries, pearl buttons, or sometimes brass upholstery nails.  The muscular limbs and massive torso reinforce the idea of strength (regardless of whether the figure is male or female), and at the same time evoke a youthful allure, related to the notion of fertility and the continuation of the genealogical lineage.  Female figures are shown with youthful breasts, while male figures are shown with unambiguous genitalia.  Although carved to memorialize a specific, recently deceased person, to whom it must pay tribute, the ancestor represented must also embody the long line of clan ancestors and therefore blend into an iconic image which recalls the entire lineage.

The Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue bears the characteristic hallmarks of the sculptural style of the southern Fang groups, the Betsi and Mekè of Gabon; most notably the accumulation of compact volumes (head, shoulders, torso, thighs, and calves), the stocky limbs defined with exaggerated, rounded muscles, and the  massive “barrel” torso, and an elegant coiffure featuring long braids falling on the back of the neck.

The head of the Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue is particularly noteworthy.  Viewed from the front, it presents a rounded, perfectly balanced quarter-sphere forehead (engraved with arched scarification motifs on both sides of an axial line), large hollow eyes, and a long nose with flattened base above a prominent oval mouth.  Viewing the figure in profile, one sees a skillful sculptural combination of curves in an arrangement of extremely simplified volumes, happily expressing the serenity and spiritual strength of the subject.  The voluminous convex front, facing away from the solid curve of the chin and cheek, defines the face, which is further emphasized by the posterior mass of the coiffure, the ponytails and lateral braids ending in subtle curve.

Viewing the Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue as a whole, a geometric analysis reveals how the figure was conceived.  It is important to bear in mind that Fang sculptors worked “freehand” without a model, at best tracing charcoal marks on the original log to determine the approximate size of each mass: the head with its hood, shoulders, arms, and legs.  The formal composition of the work was invented in the mind of the artist, according to canonical guidelines but also with the personal artistic inspiration of the moment.  Here the sculptor intuitively planned to divide the figure into three equal masses: head, torso, and legs.  One observes that the maximum lateral width of two of these masses, the torso and legs, reach the same extremity, corresponding to the diameter of the original log of wood, stripped of its bark.

The architecture of the shoulders, which are quite small compared to the thickness of the neck, is consistent with a group of works of the Besi/ Mekè of Gabon, which are characterized by small arms with forearms bent at acute angles, opposite the upper arms, toward the chest, where the hands grasp an offering cup.  In the Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue, the central position of the cup has led the sculptor to move the youthful conical breasts upward and outward from their normal position, displacing them so that they may be seen.  The hands are rendered with interesting geometric stylization, the fingers forming stars.

Delicate scratches in the wood around the mouth, at the base of the nose, and at the lip of the offering cup are evidence of the figure’s ritual use.  The small pieces of wood harvested from these locations were used in the composition of magical medicines, related to beliefs in the continuous communion between the dead and the living.

Stylistically, the Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue compares well with several other known Fang figures, such as the Byeri Fang figure previously in the Guerre Collection (see Guy Loudmer, Paris, June 20, 1996, lot 65); one published in Guillaume and Apollinaire 1917, pl. 14; and two figures from the collection of Armand Arman, Paris and New York (one today in the Musée Dapper, Paris, inv. no. “2235”, the other published in Marseille 1996, no. 26).  The key elements these figures share in common are the overall morphology of squat volumes; the style of the shoulders and the folded arms with hands grasping an offering cup; and the form of the coiffure, with central ridge and lateral braids.

On the basis of its morphology, construction, and deep patina, the date of the Langlois Fang Reliquary Statue can be estimated as late 19^th century.

Dr. Louis Perrois
March 2013