Phemba Maternity - Bakongo - DR Congo (No reserve price)

The representation of motherhood in Bakongo statuary from the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and from Angola, often embodied by Minkisi figures or ancestral statues, goes beyond mere biological celebration to inscribe itself in a complex theology of vital continuity. For the Bakongo, the mother is not only the one who gives life, but the essential bridge between the world of the living (Nza) and that of the ancestors (Kivundu). A sculpture depicting a nursing mother or holding a child symbolizes the transmission of vital force (ngolo) and the permanence of the lineage, a sine qua non condition for social survival.

These works often serve as ritual supports to invoke the protection of the ancestors over their offspring, ensuring that the child inherits not only blood but also the spiritual power of their forebears. The mother’s posture, often solemn and frontal, reflects the dignity and sacred responsibility of maintaining the cosmic balance. In Bakongo culture, where death is but a passage to another state of existence, motherhood is the act that ensures the cycle never breaks. Thus, the statue of maternity acts as a guarantor of social and spiritual order, reminding us that every birth is a victory over forgetting and a reaffirmation of the clan’s unity in the face of chaos.

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Based in Belgium, our house of expertise and sales specializes in African art and ethnography. A reference seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we enjoy a solid reputation and a history of several hundred sales with a near-100% satisfaction rate.

We regularly assist with liquidations, successions and dispersals of collections, in collaboration with private individuals and families in Belgium and neighboring countries. Our approach is rigorous, transparent and accessible, with many sales 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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