Fang-Ntumu Male Reliquary Figure, Gabon

Loudmer-Poulain, Paris, December 4-6, 1980, lot 173
Allan Stone, New York

Proper left arm broken and glued with some fills around edges. Hairline age cracks. Metal eyes with scratches and verdigris. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, and small chips consistent with age and ritual handling. The post element for attachment to reliquary box is attached to the back with six metal nails (native repair in situ). Chips and losses around feet and a shallow loss to the back of the proper left leg. Exceptionally fine oily black patina, seething oil. Set into a modern wood base with a socket fitted to accommodate the insertion of the vertical post as seen in catalogue photograph.
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.

In the equatorial forests of central Africa, ancestral relics were considered to have supernatural powers, and were preserved for veneration in portable cylindrical bark baskets; the sacred figural sculptures that surmounted these reliquaries are, according to LaGamma (2007: 3), "considered to occupy the very summit of African creativity".  Fang byeri sculptures, for the 'cult of the ancestors', have been greatly admired by Western collectors since the early 20th century.  LaGamma continues (2011):  "[byeri] figures exemplify the qualities the Fang admire in people: tranquility, vitality, and the ability to hold opposites in equilibrium. These ideals are exhibited in the balanced forms of the figures."

This Fang eyema byeri figure of a male ancestor, with its elongated cylindrical trunk, compact, muscular legs, and simplified geometric arms, is characteristic of the style of the Fang Ntumu subgroup of northern Gabon near the Cameroon border.  For a photograph of this figure on Allan Stone's desk, see page 216.