Mask - Gabon
06
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€ 1
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Selected by Julien Gauthier
A decade of experience in historical arms, armour, and African art.
Estimate € 550 - € 650
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Kota reliquaire from Gabon, a wooden sculpture covered with copper, dating to 1950–1960 (and 1960–1970), in good condition with age-related wear and stains, provenance from an old New York collection.
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Description from the seller
An interesting and rare Kota reliquary from Gabon. Wood covered with copper, finely carved. As with the Fang, the skulls and bones of the ancestors were kept in baskets surmounted by anthropomorphic reliquary figures, a symbolic and highly stylized representation of the ancestor's face.
The use of copper in African art is common, but the systematic use of copper leafing and on the reliquaries themselves is here very original, all the more so since there is no copper in the region occupied by the Kota, nor in the areas from which they migrated. A presence that will not leave anyone indifferent.
From an old New York collection.
Careful and fast shipping.
A very well-made Kota reliquary, made from wood and copper. Ex. NYC collection.
A reliquaire kota, also known as a mbulu ngulu, is a wooden sculpture that the Kota people of Gabon used to protect and identify the bones of their ancestors. The Kota believed that the remains of important people retained their power after death, bringing good fortune and protection to their descendants.
Fast and secure packing and shipping.
An interesting and rare Kota reliquary from Gabon. Wood covered with copper, finely carved. As with the Fang, the skulls and bones of the ancestors were kept in baskets surmounted by anthropomorphic reliquary figures, a symbolic and highly stylized representation of the ancestor's face.
The use of copper in African art is common, but the systematic use of copper leafing and on the reliquaries themselves is here very original, all the more so since there is no copper in the region occupied by the Kota, nor in the areas from which they migrated. A presence that will not leave anyone indifferent.
From an old New York collection.
Careful and fast shipping.
A very well-made Kota reliquary, made from wood and copper. Ex. NYC collection.
A reliquaire kota, also known as a mbulu ngulu, is a wooden sculpture that the Kota people of Gabon used to protect and identify the bones of their ancestors. The Kota believed that the remains of important people retained their power after death, bringing good fortune and protection to their descendants.
Fast and secure packing and shipping.
Details
Era
1900-2000
Material
Copper, Wood
Country of origin
Gabon
Condition
Good condition - used with small signs of aging & blemishes
Height
40 cm
Indigenous object name
Kota reliquary - African art - African art
Sold with stand
No
Estimated period
1950-1960, 1960-1970
Sold by
