Marotte kebe kebe Kuyu, Republic of Congo - Lot 87

Lot n° 87
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Estimation :
1000 - 1500 EUR
Marotte kebe kebe Kuyu, Republic of Congo - Lot 87
Marotte kebe kebe Kuyu, Republic of Congo Wood, pigments H. 50 cm Provenance : Congrégation du Saint-Esprit French private collection Bibliography : Bénézech Anne- Marie, "So-Called Kuyu Carvings", African Arts, 1988 Nov 01. 22(1), 52-99. Within the corpus of kebe kebe carvings, the example presented here belongs to style III as defined by Anne-Marie Bénézech in her study of Kuyu artistic production, characterized by brightly polychromatic carved heads mounted on pointed handles. This group is itself subdivided into six sub-groups, each with its own particular headgear. The present work, distinguished by its central crest, belongs to the third sub-group referenced by the researcher. The face is classically grave, with eyes stretched out and marked by black pupils, and a mouth half-open over filed teeth. The profusion of body markings, arranged in bands of raised pastilles on the forehead and temples, and in a semicircle from eyes to ears, reveal the silent, mysterious language of the Kuyu ideal of beauty. During Djo initiation ceremonies, carved objects are exhibited as part of the mythological snake dance, during which the dancers are entirely concealed by raffia costumes evoking the reptile's scaly skin, topped by carved kebe kebe heads.
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