Lot 284: An exceptional Hemba ancestor figure

Hemba, D.R. Congo; H: 31"

Of classical form, the standing male figure holding a knife in his proper right hand with left hand to abdomen. Cloth skirt (possibly not original) covering the genitals and legs. Encrusted patina with areas of the old and lustrous black surface beneath showing through.

Comments:
Among the Hemba, ancestor effigies called Singiti, of a particular lineage segment were hidden within the family compound in a separate shelter. In ancestral rites, the sculptures were the focus of invocations recalling heroic deeds of the ancestor. The demeanor of this example, sword in hand, reflects wisdom and interior calm and the four-lobed hairdo signifies the four directions and crossroads where spirits gather. The swelling stomach has associations with lineage continuity but in general such figures embody intelligence, strength, energy as well as fertility.

Provenance:
- Ex. Charles Ratton, Paris
- Ex. Zollman collection, IN
- Gelbard Collection, NY

Publication History:
Remnants of Ritual: Selections from the Gelbard collection of African Art (2003) Bourgeois & Rodolitz; Pg. 47, Fig. 102

Exhibition History:
Exhibition History: USA: "Remnants of Ritual, Selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art":
- University Park, IL: Governors State University, February 2003
- Krannert, IL: Krannert Art Museum, 26 August-26 October, 2003
- Kansas City, MO: Belger Art Foundation/UNIVERSITY of Missouri-
Kansas City, 2004
- Park Forest, IL: Tall Grass Art Association, 2005

Price Realized: $30,000

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