Anthropomorphic Spoon - Zande - DR Congo

Zande (Azande) anthropomorphic spoon – DRC, North Congo / Sudan region

Rare and spectacular, this Zande spoon belongs to a corpus of prestige objects exceptionally underrepresented on the market. The anthropomorphic models of this quality, blending utilitarian function and sculpture, are sought after as they attest to a developed formal language, characteristic of court arts and distinguished objects. By way of comparison, a specimen of a closely related typology is held in the collections of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Musée de Tervuren), which underscores the patrimonial importance and rarity of these spoons. (Museum reference: EO.0.0.20824, RMCA database).

The object stands out for a composition of great elegance: a long handle forming an elegant, elongated silhouette, crowned by a stylized face with a very assured contour. The treatment of the facial mask is particularly fine: almond-shaped eyes, pronounced brows, discreet mouth, and above all a notched central ridge that rhythms the face and catches the light. The lateral perforations reinforce the reading of a “mask” and suggest an aesthetic intention fully mastered, beyond mere function.

Usage and status: among the Zande, these carved spoons and ladles are not reduced to daily cooking. They willingly inhabit a register of representation and sociability, associated with the serving of food in social contexts that valorize them (receptions, sharing, important occasions), where the object also becomes a marker of taste, rank and refinement. In this type of piece, anthropomorphism is not decorative: it endows the utensil with a presence, a “personality,” and transforms the act of serving into a codified, almost ceremonial gesture.

The patina is superb, deep and nuanced, with areas polished by handling and others more matte, bearing witness to real use and long aging. The wear marks on the cuilleron, the density of the wood, and the quality of the surface confirm an old piece, well “made” and well “lived.” The whole exudes an evident graphic strength, while preserving a sobriety that makes it particularly desirable in a collection: both an autonomous sculpture and a high-level ethnographic object.

A specimen of this rarity, with such presence and such a mature patina, represents a solid opportunity for any collector of Central African art, especially for those seeking objects at the boundary between functional and statuary, capable of effortlessly fitting into a high-end collection.


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