LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 June African & Oceanic Art Auction #645  / 

48281

Hemba, Niembo(?) (Democratic Republic of Congo)M

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:6,250.00 USD Estimated At:12,500.00 - 13,500.00 USD
Hemba, Niembo(?) (Democratic Republic of Congo)M
<B>Hemba, Niembo(?) (Democratic Republic of Congo)</B></I><BR>Male Ancestor<BR>Wood<BR>Height: 17 5/8 inches Width: 7 inches Depth: 6 ½ inches<BR><BR>Among the many exceptional sculptural styles which more recent scholarship has separated from the formerly-used broad category of Luba, one of the most striking and presence-filled is that of the Hemba. Hemba social structure and identity focused strongly on important ancestors, resulting in a now noted series of serene, eternalized male figures, of which this is a splendid example. “An ancestor figure was venerated by a specific clan and was maintained by its members in a funerary house or in the chief's house. The figure expresses the dependence of the world of the living on that of the dead - and is thus a funerary and religious symbol - and indicates the ownership of land and the possession of social authority … “ (François Neyt in Susan Vogel, ed. <I>For Spirits and Kings. African Art from the Paul and Ruth Tishman Collection.</B></I> New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1981, p.217). The entire lower body and undersides of the hands are missing due to insect loss. Minor surface abrasions, small missing chips at the top rear of the headdress, and a few vertical cracks do not mar the impact of this figure.<BR><BR>Provenance:<BR>Belgian Collection<BR>Robert & Marianne Huber, Dixon, Illinois<BR>John Paynter, Dallas, 1977<BR>John Buxton, Dallas<BR><BR><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Requires 3rd Party Shipping (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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