Huge 19th C. African Hemba Wood Ancestral Figure

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Pre-Columbian | Tribal | Oceanic

By Artemis Gallery

Mar 18, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-03-18 10:00:00 2021-03-18 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Pre-Columbian | Tribal | Oceanic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/pre-columbian-tribal-oceanic-6520
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• Lot Description
  Africa, Dominican Republic of Congo, Luika River, Hemba peoples, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A remarkable and sizable wooden ancestral figure known as a singiti (plural: lusingiti), skillfully hand-carved with the idealized posthumous portrait of a Hemba chief, warrior, or the head of a lineage. Larger than life in scale, the both realistic and haunting visage exhibits a pair of huge, almond-shaped eyes with closed lids, a flat nose with broad nostrils, a naturalistic mouth held in a gentle smile, and a pointed chin or beard. The impressive sculpture is cylindrical in overall form and displays a rounded top and tapered base, perhaps to allow it to be planted in the ground like a post. Its gorgeous natural woodgrain surface boasts a warm hue of caramel. Size: 8" W x 33.75" H (20.3 cm x 85.7 cm); 34" H (86.4 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Believed to serve as vessels for the spirits of ancestors, lusingiti are cared for by a designated family member who arranges them in order of their lineage and honors them through animal sacrifices. In return, the ancestors will act as mediators between the living and the dead and protect their descendants. A visual representation of one's genealogical lineage, these figures are frequently used to underscore the legitimacy of a ruler's authority. However, not all Hemba chiefs are honored with a singiti; these figures were only commissioned once divinely authorized by a predecessor of the sitting chief who visits him in a dream. As seen in this example, Hemba artists frequently emphasized the head of the ancestor in these sculptures, as the head is lauded as the site of intellect where knowledge is absorbed through one's eyes.
  
  Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-estate of Thomas McNemar, New York City, New York, USA
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #162673

  Condition

  Expected age wear with stable fissures, nicks/chips, and abrasions throughout. Smoothness to lower part of wood. Aperture at top of head. Otherwise, very nice with lovely earthen deposits in recessed areas.
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