PF1318

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Lot 87
  • 87

Statue, Luluwa, République Démocratique du Congo

Estimate
60,000 - 90,000 EUR
bidding is closed

Description

  • Luluwa
  • Statue
  • Wood c
  • haut. 36 cm
  • 14 1/7 in

Provenance

Pierre Dartevelle, Bruxelles
Didier Claes, Bruxelles
Collection privée, acquis en 2007

Condition

Please contact department for condition report
"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 la "révolutionnaire" exposition Tentoonstelling van Kongo-Kunst qu'il organisa à Anvers en 1937-38, Frans Olbrechts sélectionna six statues Luluwa - style dont il identifia les particularités, à partir de ces mêmes œuvres, dans Plastiek van Kongo, publié en 1946. Y Figurait notamment (pl. XVIII), une statue féminine de la collection Robert Reisdorff, dont la facture - rare et très individualisée - se retrouve ici.  

Selon Constantine Petridis (2001, n.p., cat. 30) à propos de la statue Reisdorff, "son style la rattache au sous-groupe Bakwa Ndoolo. [Son allure et sa facture] témoignent de l'émergence d'une classe noble chez les Luluwa, à la fin du XIXe siècle". Dans les deux œuvres, la dignité du personnage est accentuée par la force du visage aux traits stylisés : lèvres tendues dessinant un rectangle, yeux en losange inscrits dans des orbites profondément creusées, et par la profonde patine sombre. 

La statuaire des Luluwa, emprunte selon Olbrechts (1946, p. 62 et 65) d'"une grâce et d'une distinction uniques dans la sculpture africaine", visait selon Timmermans (1966, p. 22-23), à protéger les nouveau-nés et les enfants en bas-âge. Leur nom, bulenga ("pour la beauté, pour la chance"), se réfère à la notion du sublime, exprimée dans la mise en valeur du corps. Cette beauté - dignité de la pose, tatouages envahissant le corps, coiffure élaborée - constitue, dans la pensée Luluwa, les gages d'intégrité physique et morale permettant de lutter contre les attaques des sorciers. Les statues plus grandes, comme celle-ci, étaient possédées par des femmes de haut rang. Voir Tervuren (1995, n° 115 à 117) pour trois statues féminines Luluwa également attribuées au style des Bakwa Ndoolo, collectée par le Dr. T. Fourche entre 1933 et 1942.     

Statue, Luluwa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

As part of Tentoonstelling van Kongo-Kunst, the "revolutionary" exhibition he organized in Antwerp in 1937-38, Frans Olbrechts selected six Luluwa statues - a style whose characteristics he later identified in his 1946 publication, Plastiek van Kongo, based on those very same pieces. This selection included (pl. XVIII) a female figure from the Robert Reisdorff Collection, the - very rare and very individualised - crafting of which is similar to the one of the piece at hand.  

According to Constantine Petridis (2001, n.p., cat. 30) referring to the Reisdorff statue, "its style connects it with the Bakwa Ndoolo subgroup. [Its appearance and crafting] bear witness to the emergence of a Luluwa nobility in the late 19th century". In both pieces, the dignity of the character is emphasized by the forcefulness of the face with its stylized features - taut lips forming a rectangle, diamond shaped eyes within deeply hollowed orbits - and by the deep dark patina.

According to Olbrechts (1946, p.62 and 65) the Luluwa statuary, is imbued with a grace and distinction that are unique within African sculpture" and, according to Timmermans (1966, p. 22-23), it was intended to protect new borns and young children. The figures' name, bulenga, ("for beauty, for luck"), refers to the notion of the sublime, expressed through the emphasis of the body. This very beauty - the dignified pose, the tattoos covering the body, the elaborate coiffure - is a guarantee, according to the Luluwa thought system, of physical and moral integrity, which makes it possible to fight back against the attacks of witches. The larger statues, such as this one, were owned by high-ranking women. See Tervuren (1995, No. 115 to 117) for three Luluwa female figures also attributed to the Bakwa Ndoolo style, and collected by Dr. T. Fourche between 1933 and 1942.