The figure wears an incised cap generally
associated with a chief. The half open mouth is
very frequently rendered in this style, almost
always revealing decoratively filed upper
incisors.
Carefully carved this sculpture is quite realistic
with detailed eyes, abundant scarifications on
the body and a sensitively portrayed infant
waiting to nurse. Of particular note is the
champagne bottle held by the woman. Alcoholic
beverages, imported in large quantities by
Europeans in the nineteenth century, were
sought after by tribal chiefs as symbols of
prestige. The cross legged posture and open
work arms are typical of Kongo artists who do
not shrink from depicting difficult body
positions.
With her headdress, the collar, the bracelets, the
bottle of champagne and the infant (a possible
heir), the sculptor suggests a high rank in
society. Such statues were probably used by the
ancestral cult. In the past, similar sculptures
have been considered funeral figures.
- (PF.3889)
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