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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
Kongo, Yombe : Kongo Wooden Sculpture of a Woman Standing on a Tortoise
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Kongo Wooden Sculpture of a Woman Standing on a Tortoise - PF.4396
Origin: Southwestern Congo
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
14.375" (36.5cm) high
x 3.75" (9.5cm) wide
Collection: African
Style: Kongo
Medium: Wood
£6,000.00
Location: UAE
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| Description |
For an African artist the "real" world has a
different meaning than it does for those in the
West. The existence of a spirit world is not in
question. Nor is the interaction between spirits
and living beings a matter of doubt. The barrier
separating the tangible universe from intangible
realms is very thin and easily penetrated. It was
therefore crucial for specialists, such as
sorcerers, to interpret signs, portents and
omens, and deal with evil spirits. Just as it was
important for artists to interpret the physical and
metaphysical states of being in their work.
It was believed among the Kongo people (as with
others) that statues could be used as objects of
communication between spirits and the living.
They functioned as "mediums" in which the spirit
might inhabit or be attracted to in order to grant
favors. For women it was of great importance to
encourage fertility. A woman's status depended
upon her having a child, and to promote this
event, statuettes were made to invoke powerful
forces which could influence conception and
birth.
This particular example is marvelously
expressive. The woman is in the throes of
beseeching aid, most likely to help her to
conceive and have an easy childbirth. Her breasts
are very prominent, indicating both sexual desire
and suckling of a child. The patterns on her body
show scarification which indicates, as does the
beads she wears, that this woman was from a
wealthy family. An interesting feature is she
stands on the back of a tortoise, an animal which
lives in two worlds--land and sea, easily going
from one to the other; as the spirit of this woman
hopes to do in her yearning for a child.
- (PF.4396)
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