Statuette - Bakongo - DR Congo (No reserve price)

Bakongo statuary, produced in the Kongo cultural area (modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Congo-Brazzaville), is distinguished by the depth of its symbolic thought and its close link to cosmological conceptions. Among the most significant figures is the seated figure, legs crossed, placed on a turtle, a rare iconography heavily laden with meaning.

This hieratic posture evokes a mastered and thoughtful authority, often associated with sages, chiefs or holders of ritual knowledge. The turtle, a central animal in Kongo symbolism, is seen as an ancient, patient and enduring being, capable of moving between worlds: it points to longevity, stability and deep knowledge, but also to mediation between the visible and the invisible. The figure rising above it thus asserts intellectual and spiritual domination rather than physical domination.

Formally, these sculptures feature a balanced composition, a mastered geometrization of volumes and particular attention given to the head, seat of thought. Preserved in major museum collections and presented by international auction houses, these works are today recognized as major expressions of Bakongo statuary, where authority, wisdom and cosmology are brought together.

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Based in Belgium, our expert and sales house specializes in African art and ethnography. A reference seller on Catawiki for over 8 years, we benefit from a solid reputation and a track record of several hundred sales with a nearly 100% satisfaction rate.

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

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

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