Large house sign. - Kenene. - Pende - DR Congo

This hut panel was reserved for clan chiefs. It is carved in bas-relief with a nude female figure in a hieratic pose. A bowl-shaped headdress crowns her head. Tribal scarifications adorn the forehead, the chest down to the lower abdomen. The navel is protruding. She is entirely pigmented with red ochre. A frieze of black and white triangles decorates the panel.

Some cracks and losses of material related to the piece's age. Note that the end of the right foot has been collaged (purchased as is).

The previous owner (Galerie Bakongo, Belgium) notes that this panel came from Luc Puttmans, Belgian Ambassador to Zaire (DR Congo) from 1983 to 1986. The label is still present at the bottom on the verso side of the panel. It previously belonged to the Luc de Villiers collection.

It is estimated to be from the first half of the 20th century.

Dry patina from use.

Height 130 cm × width 27 cm × depth 17 cm, Weight 8.2 kg.