Kongo Seated Power Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Private Collection, acquired in situ in Angola
Thence by family descent to the granddaughter of the above
Christie's, London, June 22, 1981, lot 153, consigned by the above
Bryce Holcombe, New York, acquired at the above auction
Pace Primitive and Ancient Art, New York, acquired from the above
Martin and Roberta Lerner, New York, acquired from the above in 1987

Raoul Lehuard, Art Bakongo. Les Centres de Style, Arnouville, 1989, Vol. I, p. 133 and Vol. II, p. 487, no. J 4-2-1
Christiane Falgayrettes-Leveau and Robert Farris Thompson, Le Geste kôngo, Paris, 2002, p. 105

The phemba figures of the Kongo-Yombe people are among the icons of African art. Counted among them are some of the most highly sought-after sculptures such as the Robert Rubin phemba, which was later in the collection of Myron Kunin (see Sotheby's, New York, November 11, 2014, lot 95), and the oeuvre of the sculptor known as the Master of Kasadi (see for example Sotheby's, New York, May 7, 2016, lot 5). As the primary figure of the present lot is male, shown grasping a plank-like beard, it cannot be classified as phemba, a type which was thought to relate to women's cults. However the configuration of the figural group, with the baby reclining in the lap of the adult, and the figure seated upon an integrally-carved plinth decorated around the edge with a strip of geometric design, is undoubtedly close in form. As such, the iconography of the phemba type is relevant to our interpretation of the subject.

Regarding the phemba corpus, LaGamma writes: “Commanding female figures of imposing stature were a major subject addressed by Kongo sculptors during the nineteenth century. A high note among these artistic attributes featuring powerful women is a corpus of what at first glance appear to be ‘mother and child’ figures. These works are striking for their conflation of iconographic elements relating leadership with motherhood, and new life with death … Scrutiny of the sculptures makes evident that their authors insightfully mined the quintessential human relationship as metaphor for the dynamics of power between this world and that of the ancestors; between clan founders and their descendants; and between mothers and their progeny. This imagery draws on the profound connection of a mother and her dependent infant as a manifesto of the Kongo idea of mbongo bantu, or ‘wealth in people.’ […]” (LaGamma, ed., Kongo: Power and Majesty, New York, 2015, p. 161)

According to William Fagg, aside from the gender of the depicted subject, it is "in other respects, including sculptural quality, extremely similar to the best of them. The attributes of kingship—bracelets, etc.—are also very like those on the famous phemba [...]” (Fagg, in Christie’s, ed., Tribal Art, June 22, 1981, lot 153, p. 49). He also observes: "The most extraordinary feature of the piece is the position of the child, which, as a result of the truncation noted above to accommodate the medicine box, is somewhat obscure at first sight” (ibid.)

The Lerner Kongo male figure is also distinguished by the remains of a ritual adaptation, made in situ; it appears to have been modified during its use in central Africa as a power figure (nkisi) with a crusty cylindrical charge added to the abdomen, nestled in the openwork space above the figure of the reclining child. Kongo power figures, or minkisi (sing. nkisi), took many different human and animal forms, including powerful female subjects which project virtues of stability, fecundity, physical beauty, and the propagation of family lineage. These were carved by a professional sculptor, and then activated to their full function by a diviner (nganga) through the addition of magical materials taken from the natural world. The eyes, which also contain magical substances, are covered with glass. These serve as a window onto the world of spirits, to which this figure acts as intermediary.