A PAIR OF WOOD, BRASS, KAOLIN AND FIBER RELIQUIARY FIGURES

A PAIR OF WOOD, BRASS, KAOLIN AND FIBER RELIQUIARY FIGURES
A PAIR OF WOOD, BRASS, KAOLIN AND FIBER RELIQUIARY FIGURES
Gabon, Ambete

72 cm high each

Provenance: Vittorio Bellini (1936-2009) collection.

This kind of sculpture is certainly connected with the cult of the ancestors, to which the Ambetes - a population that occupies territories between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon - dedicated particular attention. Both have a cavity on the back, the two sculptures are distinguished by the particular attention given to the processing of the face, characterized by rather abstract, enigmatic traits, surmounting an almost cylindrical body.