HEMBA, Democratic Republic of the Congo. - Lot 163

HEMBA, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nude, standing ancestor with disproportionate legs, round belly and body of massive, powerful proportions. The face, with its gentle, protective expression, is topped by a headdress arranged in a bun pointing backwards. Wood, old glossy brown patina, marks of age. Dimensions: 54 × 19 cm Provenance: former Pierre Loos collection, Brussels. (A photo of Pierre Loos and his wife from the early 1970s, the object on the left, will be passed on to the buyer). Among the Hemba, statues of ancestors, called singiti, materialize the presence of lineage founders and are kept in family sanctuaries. Their hieratic stature, balanced volumes and elaborate coiffure evoke the ideal of dignity and memory. They mediated between the living and the ancestors, the guarantors of fertility, prosperity and social cohesion.