Post with anthropomorphic heads
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Lot: 322
97th AuctionPost with anthropomorphic heads
D. R. Congo, Lengola
| Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels, Belgium | H: 68.5 inch | This object is not available anymore. |
wood, traces of weathering / insect damage in the lower area, base
The exact purpose of these posts, which were used by the Lengola and the neighbouring Metoko, is still not clear.
It is believed that such object were used in initiatory and funerary contexts. The juxtaposition of carved heads could metaphorically stand for the succession of generations of initiates and ancestors.
Bourgeois, Arthur & Scott Rodolitz, Remnants of Ritual, New York 2003, p. 53, ill. 111
Felix, Marc L., 100 Peoples of Zaire and their Sculpture, Brussels 1987, p. 77, fig. 11
