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African & Tribal Art :
Kongo, Yombe : Kongo Wooden Fertility Sculpture
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Kongo Wooden Fertility Sculpture - PF.3949
Origin: Southwestern Congo
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
16" (40.6cm) high
x 4.25" (10.8cm) wide
Collection: African
Medium: Wood
$3,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
There are some works of art which have the
effect of silencing everything around them,
making the busy activities of life come to a halt
so we can listen to what the object is telling us.
This forceful figure has that ability to draw our
eyes immediately to it, pull our emotions within
its powerful aura, revolve around her penetrating
gaze and the exciting sense of wonder she
evokes.
The Kongo (also known as the Bakongo tribe)
sculptors are well-known for creating objects
with intense gestures and postures, usually
representing royal wives, hunters, musicians or
healers. In this case, a woman with hands cupped
under her breasts is kneeling in an act of
supplication, her mouth is wide open beseeching
spirits of ancestors or other forces to aid her in
fertility and an easy childbirth. Every gesture is
significant and relates an instant meaning to the
observer. Here, the woman is deeply humbled,
almost in pain in her heartfelt plea. She may be
a woman of a wealthy or royal family indicated
by the necklace she wears and the scarification
on her breasts. The four figures on the base(two
pairs of male and female) may represent
ancestral couples, offering support to their living
relative. This woman touches our heart with a cry
heard in every culture in every age that reaches
to the soul.
- (PF.3949)
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