Second half of the 19th century
Wood, dark brown patina, raffia
70 cm
Provenance
Takada Kenzo Collection, Paris
Dalton Somaré, Milan
Private Collection, Boston
Publications
Estetica Africana, Dalton Somaré, Milan, 2006, p. 75
Hemba statue and ancestor cult in the art of Congo
Just as the Luba excelled in creating images connected with political and religious power, such as caryatids, ceremonial stools, cups and divinatory objects, the Hemba of northern Shaba and Maniema gave material form to the deep veneration for ancestors that characterizes their culture.
This Hemba ancestor figure is an extraordinary example of ancient African Sculpture from Central Africa and testifies to the fundamental role attributed to ancestors in the social and spiritual structure of Hemba communities.
Ancestor figures were venerated by specific clans and kept inside funerary houses or in the dwelling of the chief. They expressed the dependence of the world of the living on that of the deceased and were at the same time funerary, religious and political symbols, connected with possession of the land and with social authority founded on clan and lineage organization.
The material used also possessed symbolic value. Many of these sculptures were made of iroko wood, a tree considered sacred and endowed with particular spiritual importance.
Form, balance and monumentality of Hemba sculpture
This statue presents simple and balanced proportions that convey the solemn serenity of the ancestor represented. The full, rounded ovoid head is supported by a long cylindrical neck that accentuates the monumentality of the figure.
The arms, articulated through a harmonious rhythm of the elbows, guide the eye toward the pronounced abdomen, while the chest and shoulders are defined by a soft plastic force that precisely models the pectoral muscles.
The style of this imposing Hemba statue is based on a perfectly controlled alternation between naturalistic and geometrizing forms, which coexist without ever coming into conflict. The care devoted to details and to the balance of volumes creates an impression of harmony and silent monumentality, a fundamental characteristic of what has been called the great art du sommeil of Central Africa.
