Artistically engraved calabash, ca. 1930

D. R. Congo, Congo central, Moanda Region, Kitombe, Vela Raphael

Provenance	Size	Starting price / estimated price
Pierre Loos, Brussels, Belgium Bren Heymans, Antwerp, Belgium	H: 9.8 inch	This object is not available anymore.

pumpkin, kaolin, fire blackening, incised signature "Vela Raphael Kitombe", min. dam.

Gourds of this type are decorated with motives based on Kongo proverbs, folk-tales and fables. The tradition of engraving calabashes is ancient but these narrative, realistic icons are geared at an expatriate public.

Expo cat.: "100 x Congo. Een eeuw Congolese kunst in Antwerpen", Els De Palmenaer (red.), Antwerp: BAI NV, 2020, p. 151, cat. 75

Exhibited:

Antwerp, Belgium: "100 x Congo. Een eeuw Congolese kunst in Antwerpen / Un siècle d'art congolais à Anvers", 3 October 2020 - 12 September 2021