Mask - Gabon (No reserve price)

africaines

Statue Fang

Statue de reliquaire Fang

Several variants of Fang Byen statues form part of African Byeri art. Each family possesses a "Byeri", a reliquary box in which the bones of the ancestors are preserved. These boxes were guarded by the oldest man in the village, ("esa"). The reliquary boxes were topped by a statue or a head that acted as guardian of the Byeri boxes. These were kept in a dark corner of the house, and were intended to turn away evil influences from someone else. They were also used during the initiation ceremonies of young people tied to the So society. During festivities, the statues were separated from their boxes and carried in a parade. This piece, intended to be pinned into a reliquary basket by the posterior peduncle, has a dark head in which brass lamellae gleam. The golden metal also heightens the protrusion of the umbilical cabochon as well as the shoulders and wrists. Vigour and power