Lot 36
  • 36

HEMBA FIGURE, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO |

Estimate
150,000 - 250,000 EUR
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Description

  • haut. 68 cm
  • 26 3/4 in
Hemba figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Provenance

Emile Deletaille, Bruxelles
Collection Z, Bruxelles, acquis ca 1970

Literature

Neyt, La Grande Statuaire Hemba du Zaïre, 1977, p. 206-207, n° V. 10

Condition

Very good condition overall. Minor nicks, chips, scratches and abrasions throughout consistent with age and use, including chip to the proper right of the coiffure. As visible in the catalogue illustrration the legs are missing due to insect damage, this damage extends up the remainder of the legs and proper right buttock. Fingers are eroded on both hands. Crack to the proper left of the neck and top of the chest, filled at the neck. Minor crack to the reverse of the figure down the lower, centre of the back. Very fine dark patina, encrusted in places particularly to the face and coiffure.
"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

This remarkable sculpture reflects the prestige of princely families at the time of the Luba kingdom’s expansion and the cultural florescence of the Hemba traditions. It originated in the Niembo workshops of the Luika, which are among the most prestigious within Hemba aesthetics. According to François Neyt, writing about a very closely related statue (Sotheby's, Paris, 16 June 2010, No.73), "their sculptures do not only embody ancestor worship, but also have a social and political dimension that make them first-rate aesthetic and historical evidence. They give an account of the chiefs of the region, their prestige, their coiffure styles, the mens scarification, the marks of authority [...] It is therefore appropriate to date this masterpiece to the first half of the nineteenth century, which was the apogee of ancestor effigies.” The magnificence of the ancestral figure is reflected in the statue’s arresting presence, the formal eurhythmy, the fluidity of its outlines and the commanding beauty of the head. The ovoid face with its rounded full forms, blossoms in the curve of the exposed forehead, which extends to the top of the head. The coiffure, which unfolds in four lobes, comes together in a decorated diadem. On a plane inclined gently upwards, two intricate horizontal braids cover two vertical braids. They protect a receptacle that has its root in mythical stories: during the short migrations of the dry season, this was where the chief of the clan deposited the seeds to be planted during the following rain season. Finally, the delicately sculpted beard accentuates the ancestral ascendancy while structuring the lower part of the face.

Acquired approximately fifty years ago from a Belgian dealer, this majestic ancestral statue from the Z Collection is one of the first known examples in Europe of the great Hemba statuary, similar to the statue that François Neyt attributes to the same sculptor, and which is preserved at the Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (inv. n° 72.17).