Statue - Zande - DR Congo

Ancient statue – Zande – Democratic Republic of the Congo

A sculpture of presence, raw and uncompromising, heir to the first generations of Zande art.

This ancient Zande statue, of powerful naturalism and deliberately brutalist intent, is distinguished by a rare formal approach: solid volumes, direct proportions, and an absence of superfluous decorative search. Everything here is a matter of presence, restrained tension, and ritual effectiveness. This type of aesthetics, often described as primitive in the noble sense of the term, harks back to the early generations of Zande sculpture, where form takes precedence over ornament.

Coherent context and provenance

The sculpture was recovered in the early 1960s from the widow of a ship's captain, a context that is perfectly plausible in light of Congo’s history at that time.
At the dawn of independence (1960), the ports of Boma and Matadi, true gateways to and from the Congo, were major transit points for maritime officers, river and sea navigation companies, as well as for technical and administrative staff involved in trade and transport on the Congo River.

It is not uncommon for ship captains, stationed for several years along riverine or coastal routes, to have acquired objects in situ, either through exchange or by direct purchase from local populations or regional intermediaries. In this context, a collection made at the mouth of the Congo River, between Boma and Matadi, fits into a credible and well-documented historical reality.

Dating and stylistic analysis

Although collected in the 1960s, the statue itself is clearly older, and can reasonably be dated to at least the first half of the 20th century, or even earlier.
The deep patina, the even wear of the volumes, and the radical simplification of the shapes argue in favor of an object that has undergone prolonged use, probably in a ritual or domestic context with a strong symbolic charge.

The style, at once naturalistic and frontal, recalls certain ancient Zande sculptures associated with protective, mediating, or representing ancestors or spirits. It is precisely these unconventional, less refined works, sometimes almost disturbing, that today attract discerning collectors and fans of so-called “first-generation” art.

This statue thus belongs to a demanding corpus, valued for its authenticity, its radical formalism, and its distance from late or touristy productions.

Introduction to our expertise firm

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We regularly assist with liquidations, estates, and dispersals of collections, in collaboration with individuals and families in Belgium and neighboring countries. Our approach is designed to be rigorous, transparent and accessible, with sales often offered without a reserve price.

Some pieces that have passed through our hands have joined international private collections and, for some, museum institutions.

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