African Tribal Art

Dengese Standing Male Figure

Culture: Dengese
Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Period: Mid-20th century
Object: Figure
Materials: Wood, Cowrie shell, Raffia, Glass, Metal, Twine
Dimensions: 50.8 × 12.7 × 14 cm
Catalogue: TRB-125

A carved wooden figure of a standing man representing a king or member of the social elite among the Dengese, a group within the Kuba complex of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The stylised body carries incised geometric designs, and the figure is adorned with bead and metal necklaces and wears a skirt of woven raffia fibre hung with cowrie shells.

Provenance

Estate of Robert William Guynn; Elliot Howard Collection, collection number EXH1009.

Acquired

Simpson Galleries, LLC · 2024