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

48243

Teke (Democratic Republic of Congo)Nkira ntswo

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Ethnographic Start Price:3,500.00 USD Estimated At:7,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Teke (Democratic Republic of Congo)Nkira ntswo
<B>Teke (Democratic Republic of Congo)</B></I><BR><I>Nkira ntswo</B></I> Ancestor Figure<BR>Wood<BR>Height: 13 inches Width: 2 ½ inches Depth: 2 7/8 inches<BR><BR>The specific caplike headdress indicates a person of Chiefly rank, which supports identification of this as an <I>nkira</B></I> (pl. <I>bankiri</B></I>), a kind of nature spirit with “positive ritual functions that emerge from the will of the ancestors to assure the well-being of their descendants …” (Alphonse Lema Gwete in Gustaaf Verswijver, Els De Palmenaer, Viviane Baeke, and Anne-Marie Bouttiaux-Ndiaye, eds. <I>Masterpieces from Central Africa.</B></I> Munich, New York: Prestel, 1996, p.151). When in use, magical materials were packed in the abdominal cavity and the whole middle area covered with pastes which hardened into a casing. There are old losses around the abdominal opening and along the outer edge of the proper right foot.<BR><BR>Provenance: A West Coast collector<BR>Renauld Vanuxem, Paris<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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