This description has been translated and may not be completely accurate. Click here to see the original
ANTHROPOMOPRHE STATUETTE Beli
Culture Mangbetu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
First half of the 20th century
Wood and pigments
H: 64; Wt: 13; Thickness: 12.5 cm
(broken foot)
Male statuette standing with his arms at his sides and the penis erect. Its legs are slightly bent, its umbilicus is prominent and its body entirely incised with friezes of triangles referring to body paintings. His oval face is marked with two C-shaped ears, a nose with signified nostrils, a half-open mouth showing small teeth, and almond-shaped eyes enclosed in streaked diamonds representing the scarifications. This pattern of incisions is repeated for the conical cap pigmented in black.
These statuettes of the nebeli society, associated with fertility, depicted ancestors and were kept in secret places.
Ref: 2J8FDI42GA