- 29
Tambour, Mangbetu, République Démocratique du Congo
Description
- wood
- long. 122 cm ; 48 in
Provenance
Transmis par descendance
Collection privée, France
Catalogue Note
Au sein du corpus admiré et recherché de ces percussions de prestige, ce tambour se distingue par une taille et une ampleur de formes rarement atteintes. Plusieurs œuvres des collections de l'American Museum of Natural History (inv. n° 90.1 / 3939 et 90.1 / 4794 A) offrent une envergure similaire, sans pour autant témoigner du même raffinement. Aux photographies in situ précisant le mode de jeu de ces grands tambours s'ajoutent ici les traces, sur les lèvres et la base, de son usage prolongé. Les nuances de la patine laquée viennent sublimer ses volumes majestueux, dont les lignes audacieuses attestent d'une création admirablement achevée.
The art of forms, that the Mangbetu sculptors excelled at, is at its apex in the nedundu drums, celebrated from the very moment of their discovery for the superb elegance of their lines and their pared down beauty. "As instruments of prestige, these types of slit drums were also offered to prominent dignitaries by Mangbetu chiefs to bestow an authority upon them" (Burssens, Mangbetu. Art de cour africain de collection privées belges, 1992, p. 24).
Within the admired and sought-after corpus of these prestigious percussion instruments, this drum stands out for its rarely achieved size and the scale of its outlines. Several works of the American Museum of Natural History (No. 90.1 / 3939 and 90.1 / 4794 A) are on similar scale, yet they do not display the same refinement. In situ photographs showing how to play these great drums find an echo in the traces of its prolonged use, on the lips and on the base. Acquired over time, the nuances of its lacquered patina emphasize its majestic volumes, the bold lines of which are the hallmark of a beautifully accomplished creation.
Mangbetu drum, Democratic Republic of the Congo