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African & Tribal Art :
Hemba, Luba, Shankadi : African Art / Shankadi Ivory Figure in the Form of a Woman
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African Art / Shankadi Ivory Figure in the Form of a Woman - PF.2608
Origin: Southeastern Congo
Circa: 19th
th
Century AD
to 20th
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
6.25" (15.9cm) high
x 1.75" (4.4cm) wide
Catalogue: V10
Collection: African
Medium: Ivory
$4,800.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
The Shankadi are a subgroup of the Luba tribe
whose art is easily recognized by their
characteristic tiered pagoda hairstyle. Luba ivory
pendants represent ancestral spirits. As such,
they belong to a broad category of Luba
sculpture called 'Mikisi Mihasi' (Colle, 1913). The
miniature figures represent portraits, or at least a
likeness, and are named and honored in the
memory of certain revered ancestors. Sculpted
from ivory, as well as bone and horn, these
delicate diminutive figures are suspended from
bandoliers together with other objects, including
amulets, beads and horns. The bandoliers are
worn diagonally across the torso or may be
attached to the arm. Devotees anoint the figures
with oil in homage to the ancestors. Such
treatments, together with regular handling and
contact with the human body, give the figures a
smooth lustrous surface and a rich, caramel color
ranging from yellowish brown to auburn. The
figures are sometimes attached to scepters
carried by chiefs.
The pendant emphasizes head and torso to the
total exclusion of legs. Large demure eyes
dominate the head, which inclines along the
natural curve of the ivory. The artist's careful
attention to detail is evident in the description of
the coiffure and scarification. Two sets of incised
lines create raised swellings on the figure's
abdomen, identifiable as 'milalo'. All Luba
scarifications are named and each serves a
particular purpose. 'Milalo' are considered to be
particularly erotic and beautiful, and in the past
all women were expected to have these marks of
femininity and Luba social identity (Nooter, 1991).
- (PF.2608)
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