Painted African Sculptures by Fayez Barakat

Fayez Barakat

Painted African Works

Copyright (c) 2020 by Fayez Barakat.

Artwork Copyright by Fayez Barakat. All rights reserved.

No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of Fayez Barakat.

Fayez Barakat is best known as one of the world’s most important dealers and collectors of ancient art. His gallery in London is a treasure trove, filled to the brim with every age and culture ranging from Maya crystal skulls to Mogul statuary and Egyptian jewellery.

However, whilst Barakat’s extensive knowledge has helped shape key private and public collections, another side to him that is fast becoming apparent: he is a prolific and highly accomplished painter who has managed over the last few years to establish an eclectic and allusive body of work.

Fayez Barakat pairs his breath-taking artistic technique with African pieces from the Barakat collection to create a series of unique painted tribal sculptures. These pieces reflect the influence that growing up surrounded by antiquities has had on the gallery founder’s own artistic journey. Featuring antiquities dating from the 1800 - 1900 CE, these works aim to bridge the gap between old and new, traditional and abstract, as Fayez explores both the cultural significance of works of the Songye, Luba, and Metoko tribes, among others, and the emotive and powerful work of the artist himself.

Painted Kongo Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.124)

Kongo Tribe Bakongo or Kongo people are a Bantu ethnic group who speak the Kikongo language. There are many theories as to how the Kongo people got their name. Some believe the name is derived from the word N’kongo, which means “hunter”, but others believe it is meant to mean “mountains” in the Bantu language.

Bakongo people are a matriarchal society who values their independence. They are the largest tribe in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and have considerable populations in neighboring countries as well. The total population of the tribe was last estimated to be around 18 million worldwide. When the Portuguese arrived in the 1400’s, the Bakongo people were among the first to welcome trading.

Most art created by the Bakongo is spiritually driven often using sacred medicines, referred to as nkisi (loosely translated to spirit), for divine protection. Bakongo legend tells a story about the great god, Ne Kongo, who came down from heaven in a vessel and brought the first nkisi. Nkisi are represented as a container filled with sacred material that is triggered by supernatural forces which can be summoned into the physical world. Nkisi can be as simple as pottery containing herbs or as complex as wooden figures imbued with sacred elements.

Nkisi can be evil or enlightened.

Painted Hemba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.126)

Hemba Tribe “During the 18th century, the Hemba people, led by their chief Niembo, migrated from the south-west and settled on the right bank of the Lualaba River, in a region of fertile savannah.

Today, they number 80,000 and are divided into large clans which, by definition, are families with a common ancestor. The hereditary chief of each clan is called the Fumu Mwalo and is the keeper of the ancestor figures. He renders justice and his status as clan head means that he has a privilege of receiving numerous gifts. The Hemba live mostly from farming manioc, sesame, yams and beans. Secret societies such as Bukazanzi for the men and Bukibilo for the women counterbalance the Fumu Mwalo’s power.

Two types of Hemba mask have been identified so far: the first is the rarest and displays a perfectly symmetrical human face with a small mouth and a linear nose set between two slanted eyes. The second type of mask imitates a monkey face with a large, pierced, crescentshaped mouth and pointed nose. The function and meaning of these masks remain obscure.�

Source: Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

Painted Metoko Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.133)

Metoko Tribe The Metoko tribe lives along the Congo River. The 15.000 tribespeople are hunters who live deep in the rainforest. The Metoko have a voluntary association called bukota, whose large membership includes both men and women. Its functions are similar to those of the Lega bwami association as it regulates their social, political and economic life.

Sculptures serve a wide variety of purposes, from providing behavioural models, to encouraging healing, to promoting peace. Angular features and abstract shapes are characteristic of the figures produced by Metoko sculptors. Typically, Metoko masks are usually covered with horizontal and vertical grooves and sculptures are often covered in paint or incised dots.

Painted Luba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.143)

Luba Tribe The exact date of the founding of the Luba Kingdom is uncertain. According to oral tradition, the cultural hero Kalala Ilunga conquered the lands of adjacent chiefs along the Lualaba River. He and his successors were venerated as living divinities capable of great power. During the eighteenth century the Luba empire expanded eastward and southward until it reached the basins of the Sankuru and Lomami rivers. Luba art consequently varies regionally and has also influenced the art of neighbouring peoples including the Hemba and the Boyo. Most of the Luba art in Western collections was originally produced in association with royal or chiefly courts and was meant to validate the power of leaders. Luba art forms tend to be delicately modelled and curvilinear, expressing serenity and introspection.

Among the characteristics of Luba sculpture are: intricate hair-dress, often in the form of a cross, or falling down like a cascade; a grooved diagonal band separating the hair-line from the forehead; eyes shaped like coffee-beans; small simplified ‘cat’s ears’; ornamental cicatrices in relief on the body; the surface elaborately worked and polished. The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes. The favourite theme in sculpture was woman since, according to the Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighbouring ethnicities, they would contract profitable political alliances based on marriage. Some figures are freestanding, almost always in a frontal position, often with their hands on their breasts; others are kneeling, sitting, or standing figures whose upraised hands serve as supports for bowls, seats, and neck rests.

Painted Tabwa Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.201)

Tabwa Tribe “Historically, Tabwa people lived under Luba domination in small autonomous villages scattered within a territory that expanded across the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and Zambia, along Lake Tanganyika. Interestingly, the verb ‘tabwa’ means ‘to be tied up’ and refers to when these people were taken as slaves. During the 19th century, the ivory trade brought wealth to the region and Tabwa people gained their independence. Today, they number 200,000 and are led by chief-sorcerers who rule over village chiefs and family chiefs.

Their power is counterbalanced by male societies created on Luba prototypes and by female associations influenced by East African models. Traditionally, Tabwa people made their living from hunting and blacksmithing; nowadays, they farm and fish.

The influence on Tabwa art of their eastern Tanzanian neighbours is seen in their use of linear geometric decoration, while their western neighbours, the Luba, influenced the incorporation of prestige objects into Tabwa life.”

Source: Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

Painted Luba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.108)

Luba Tribe The exact date of the founding of the Luba Kingdom is uncertain. According to oral tradition, the cultural hero Kalala Ilunga conquered the lands of adjacent chiefs along the Lualaba River. He and his successors were venerated as living divinities capable of great power. During the eighteenth century the Luba empire expanded eastward and southward until it reached the basins of the Sankuru and Lomami rivers. Luba art consequently varies regionally and has also influenced the art of neighbouring peoples including the Hemba and the Boyo. Most of the Luba art in Western collections was originally produced in association with royal or chiefly courts and was meant to validate the power of leaders. Luba art forms tend to be delicately modelled and curvilinear, expressing serenity and introspection.

Among the characteristics of Luba sculpture are: intricate hair-dress, often in the form of a cross, or falling down like a cascade; a grooved diagonal band separating the hair-line from the forehead; eyes shaped like coffee-beans; small simplified ‘cat’s ears’; ornamental cicatrices in relief on the body; the surface elaborately worked and polished. The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes. The favourite theme in sculpture was woman since, according to the Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighbouring ethnicities, they would contract profitable political alliances based on marriage. Some figures are freestanding, almost always in a frontal position, often with their hands on their breasts; others are kneeling, sitting, or standing figures whose upraised hands serve as supports for bowls, seats, and neck rests.

Painted Azande Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.204)

Azande Tribe Azande refers to a culturally diverse group of peoples who, over the past two hundred years, have been brought together under the governments of a number of distinct kingdoms. Little is known of their history prior to this period.

Azande artwork includes carved wooden sculptures thought to have been given as gifts by tribal chiefs. Azande sculptures represent ancestors or animal figures with simplified features and enlarged heads. The mani association celebrates the importance of woman and uses statuette called yanda. These statues are associated with the highest rank of the secret mani society. The figures protect society members from the dangers of illness, hunting, evil spirits, etc. Usually female figures are made from wood or fired clay; yanda figures often wear accessories, such as bead collars, pendants, and coins. The society's chief would infuse the yanda with his power by blowing smoke on it and rubbing it with a paste. The pyramidshaped head, simple in form, has a diamond-shaped face, protruding eyes, and, often, iron rings in its ears and nose. The torso and neck are cylindrical or rectangular, the extremities short. Its outlines are angular and abstract. In some northern Zande areas, large pole-like figures have been erected. These figures may have functioned as grave markers, a widespread pattern for eastern Africa and the southern Sudan. The maternity figures are also known, as are stylized and refined objects: neck-rests, flyswats, ivory horns, and musical instruments such as drums, sanzas, and curved harps decorated with a head and ending with a pair of legs.

Masks are rare.

Painted Songye Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.158)

Songye Tribe Large-scale power figures such as this example were central to the life of Songye communities spread over a vast territory in east-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Designed to act as intercessors between ancestral spirits and the living, nkishi were intended to benefit the entire community and were not the property of a single individual. The consecration of a nkishi was a public event unifying the community; chiefs and elders commissioned the nkishi and the community was responsible for cutting the tree selected for the carving, often selected for its curative or toxic properties.

Nkisi or Nkishi (plural varies: minkisi, zinkisi, or nkisi) are spirits, or an object that a spirit inhabits. It is frequently applied to a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin in Central Africa especially in the Territory of Cabindathat are believed to contain spiritual powers or spirits.

Painted Bena Lulua Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.203)

Bena Lulua Tribe Lulua is an umbrella term, which refers to a large number of heterogeneous peoples who populate the region near the Lulua River; between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers. The Lulua people migrated from western Africa during the 18th century and settled in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). They number 300,000 and live in small regional chiefdoms and in times of crisis elect a common leader.

The statues represent great chiefs with beards and insignia, and these effigies would be planted in the ground to protect the household when the head of the family was absent. These male figures depict warriors-chiefs who often hold a ceremonial sword and shield, or a cup.

Sometimes knives and other paraphernalia hang from the belt. The most famous statuettes are the mbulenga, or female charm statuettes. The chibola are maternity figures that, when worn on the belt, protected the newborn child or the baby about to be born: the chibola would stand watch over childbirths. The protruding abdomen of the woman emphasizes the importance of the lineage. Other figures are in crouching or squatting positions with raised hands resting on the neck and the oversize head. It is said that this position corresponded to the burial form, and in all probability these statues represent ancestors.

Painted Lega Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.200)

Lega Tribe After their exodus from Uganda in the 17th century, the Lega tribes-people eventually settled on the west bank of the Lualaba River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire).

Known also as the Warega, the 200,000 people who constitute the Lega tribe live in autonomous villages, collectively situated at the summit of a hill surrounded by a palisade.

The position of chief, referred to as the Kindi, is held bu the oldest member of the clan who must also hold the highest grade within the Bwami society. The function of the Bwami, which is open to both men and women, is to regulate the social and political life of the Lega.

Progression through the seven male and four female grades is made possible by the giving of presents and the participation in initiations. Division of labor is gender based and akin to the economic patterns of other tribes living in a forest environment: men hunt and clear new land and women cultivate manioc.

Lega art is exclusively focused on and associated with the Bwami society. Each object has a precise role and function within their ceremonies and rituals and is used only by the initiated.

These artifacts are numerous and are created from a variety of materials, particularly wood, ivory, bone and elephant hide.

Source: Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

Painted Metoko Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.205)

Metoko Tribe The Metoko tribe lives along the Congo River. The 15.000 tribespeople are hunters who live deep in the rainforest. The Metoko have a voluntary association called bukota, whose large membership includes both men and women. Its functions are similar to those of the Lega bwami association as it regulates their social, political and economic life.

Sculptures serve a wide variety of purposes, from providing behavioural models, to encouraging healing, to promoting peace. Angular features and abstract shapes are characteristic of the figures produced by Metoko sculptors. Typically, Metoko masks are usually covered with horizontal and vertical grooves and sculptures are often covered in paint or incised dots.

Painted Ashanti Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.208)

Ashanti Tribe The Ashanti people that inhabit the area of modern Ghana, belong to the wider ethnic group – Akan. With the strengthening of the political and economic power of the highly organized Ashanti Federation (from the 17th century onwards), art under its patronage flourished.

Mainly in the service of the king - Asantehene, as well as the ruling classes in a society that had both formally and symbolically represented the state itself, art was the inevitable medium of communication. Through it the message was delivered to subjects, allies, enemies, but also to the spirits of the deceased, who, as it was believed, even after death took part in the lives of their offspring. Material, motifs, symbols, the order of elements and the context in which a certain object was shown, determined the nature of the message, as well as the ones that received them.

The establishment of meaningful analogies between oral culture and art has produced a certain style the result of the interaction of various branches of creativity, and this style is manifest in certain motifs and their “transfer� from one type of the object to the other. By learning the social understanding of symbols, materials, colours that are repeated throughout the art corpus of the Ashanti, the observer is a witness to a whole world in which every one of these elements, like a ray that cuts through a prism of meaning, turns into an active social sign.

Painted Bena Lulua Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.207)

Bena Lulua Tribe Lulua is an umbrella term, which refers to a large number of heterogeneous peoples who populate the region near the Lulua River; between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers. The Lulua people migrated from western Africa during the 18th century and settled in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). They number 300,000 and live in small regional chiefdoms and in times of crisis elect a common leader.

The statues represent great chiefs with beards and insignia, and these effigies would be planted in the ground to protect the household when the head of the family was absent. These male figures depict warriors-chiefs who often hold a ceremonial sword and shield, or a cup.

Sometimes knives and other paraphernalia hang from the belt. The most famous statuettes are the mbulenga, or female charm statuettes. The chibola are maternity figures that, when worn on the belt, protected the newborn child or the baby about to be born: the chibola would stand watch over childbirths. The protruding abdomen of the woman emphasizes the importance of the lineage. Other figures are in crouching or squatting positions with raised hands resting on the neck and the oversize head. It is said that this position corresponded to the burial form, and in all probability these statues represent ancestors.

Painted Metoko Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.206)

Metoko Tribe The Metoko tribe lives along the Congo River. The 15.000 tribespeople are hunters who live deep in the rainforest. The Metoko have a voluntary association called bukota, whose large membership includes both men and women. Its functions are similar to those of the Lega bwami association as it regulates their social, political and economic life.

Sculptures serve a wide variety of purposes, from providing behavioural models, to encouraging healing, to promoting peace. Angular features and abstract shapes are characteristic of the figures produced by Metoko sculptors. Typically, Metoko masks are usually covered with horizontal and vertical grooves and sculptures are often covered in paint or incised dots.

Painted Yaka Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.212)

Yaka Tribe Today, the 300,000 Yaka people live along the Wamba River. They migrated from Angola during the 16th century and settled under the control of the Kongo kingdom. In the 18th century their lands were annexed by the Angola-based Lunda people, but by the 19th century the Yaka had regained their independence. Yaka society is tightly structured and headed by a chief of Lunda origin, the Kiamfu, who delegates responsibilities to ministers and lineage chiefs, Unkwagata. Young men are expected to pass through various initiation stages, including circumcision. The tribe lives principally from hunting, although subsidiary farming is undertaken by the women. Yaka artistic tradition is rich and various, but much of it has been informed by their neighbours – the Suku, the Kongo, the Holo and the Teke.

Nevertheless, Yaka statues do have common characteristics- an upturned nose and applied pigments.

Source: Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.

Painted Luba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.209)

Luba Tribe The exact date of the founding of the Luba Kingdom is uncertain. According to oral tradition, the cultural hero Kalala Ilunga conquered the lands of adjacent chiefs along the Lualaba River. He and his successors were venerated as living divinities capable of great power. During the eighteenth century the Luba empire expanded eastward and southward until it reached the basins of the Sankuru and Lomami rivers. Luba art consequently varies regionally and has also influenced the art of neighbouring peoples including the Hemba and the Boyo. Most of the Luba art in Western collections was originally produced in association with royal or chiefly courts and was meant to validate the power of leaders. Luba art forms tend to be delicately modelled and curvilinear, expressing serenity and introspection.

Among the characteristics of Luba sculpture are: intricate hair-dress, often in the form of a cross, or falling down like a cascade; a grooved diagonal band separating the hair-line from the forehead; eyes shaped like coffee-beans; small simplified ‘cat’s ears’; ornamental cicatrices in relief on the body; the surface elaborately worked and polished. The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes. The favourite theme in sculpture was woman since, according to the Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighbouring ethnicities, they would contract profitable political alliances based on marriage. Some figures are freestanding, almost always in a frontal position, often with their hands on their breasts; others are kneeling, sitting, or standing figures whose upraised hands serve as supports for bowls, seats, and neck rests.

Painted Metoko Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.210)

Metoko Tribe The Metoko tribe lives along the Congo River. The 15.000 tribespeople are hunters who live deep in the rainforest. The Metoko have a voluntary association called bukota, whose large membership includes both men and women. Its functions are similar to those of the Lega bwami association as it regulates their social, political and economic life.

Sculptures serve a wide variety of purposes, from providing behavioural models, to encouraging healing, to promoting peace. Angular features and abstract shapes are characteristic of the figures produced by Metoko sculptors. Typically, Metoko masks are usually covered with horizontal and vertical grooves and sculptures are often covered in paint or incised dots.

Painted Ashanti Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.211)

Ashanti Tribe The Ashanti people that inhabit the area of modern Ghana, belong to the wider ethnic group – Akan. With the strengthening of the political and economic power of the highly organized Ashanti Federation (from the 17th century onwards), art under its patronage flourished.

Mainly in the service of the king - Asantehene, as well as the ruling classes in a society that had both formally and symbolically represented the state itself, art was the inevitable medium of communication. Through it the message was delivered to subjects, allies, enemies, but also to the spirits of the deceased, who, as it was believed, even after death took part in the lives of their offspring. Material, motifs, symbols, the order of elements and the context in which a certain object was shown, determined the nature of the message, as well as the ones that received them.

The establishment of meaningful analogies between oral culture and art has produced a certain style the result of the interaction of various branches of creativity, and this style is manifest in certain motifs and their “transfer� from one type of the object to the other. By learning the social understanding of symbols, materials, colours that are repeated throughout the art corpus of the Ashanti, the observer is a witness to a whole world in which every one of these elements, like a ray that cuts through a prism of meaning, turns into an active social sign.

Painted Songye Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.213)

Songye Tribe Large-scale power figures such as this example were central to the life of Songye communities spread over a vast territory in east-central Democratic Republic of the Congo. Designed to act as intercessors between ancestral spirits and the living, nkishi were intended to benefit the entire community and were not the property of a single individual. The consecration of a nkishi was a public event unifying the community; chiefs and elders commissioned the nkishi and the community was responsible for cutting the tree selected for the carving, often selected for its curative or toxic properties.

Nkisi or Nkishi (plural varies: minkisi, zinkisi, or nkisi) are spirits, or an object that a spirit inhabits. It is frequently applied to a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin in Central Africa especially in the Territory of Cabindathat are believed to contain spiritual powers or spirits.

Painted Luba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.215)

Luba Tribe The exact date of the founding of the Luba Kingdom is uncertain. According to oral tradition, the cultural hero Kalala Ilunga conquered the lands of adjacent chiefs along the Lualaba River. He and his successors were venerated as living divinities capable of great power. During the eighteenth century the Luba empire expanded eastward and southward until it reached the basins of the Sankuru and Lomami rivers. Luba art consequently varies regionally and has also influenced the art of neighbouring peoples including the Hemba and the Boyo. Most of the Luba art in Western collections was originally produced in association with royal or chiefly courts and was meant to validate the power of leaders. Luba art forms tend to be delicately modelled and curvilinear, expressing serenity and introspection.

Among the characteristics of Luba sculpture are: intricate hair-dress, often in the form of a cross, or falling down like a cascade; a grooved diagonal band separating the hair-line from the forehead; eyes shaped like coffee-beans; small simplified ‘cat’s ears’; ornamental cicatrices in relief on the body; the surface elaborately worked and polished. The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes. The favourite theme in sculpture was woman since, according to the Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighbouring ethnicities, they would contract profitable political alliances based on marriage. Some figures are freestanding, almost always in a frontal position, often with their hands on their breasts; others are kneeling, sitting, or standing figures whose upraised hands serve as supports for bowls, seats, and neck rests.

Painted Azande Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.216)

Azande Tribe Azande refers to a culturally diverse group of peoples who, over the past two hundred years, have been brought together under the governments of a number of distinct kingdoms. Little is known of their history prior to this period.

Azande artwork includes carved wooden sculptures thought to have been given as gifts by tribal chiefs. Azande sculptures represent ancestors or animal figures with simplified features and enlarged heads. The mani association celebrates the importance of woman and uses statuette called yanda. These statues are associated with the highest rank of the secret mani society. The figures protect society members from the dangers of illness, hunting, evil spirits, etc. Usually female figures are made from wood or fired clay; yanda figures often wear accessories, such as bead collars, pendants, and coins. The society's chief would infuse the yanda with his power by blowing smoke on it and rubbing it with a paste. The pyramidshaped head, simple in form, has a diamond-shaped face, protruding eyes, and, often, iron rings in its ears and nose. The torso and neck are cylindrical or rectangular, the extremities short. Its outlines are angular and abstract. In some northern Zande areas, large pole-like figures have been erected. These figures may have functioned as grave markers, a widespread pattern for eastern Africa and the southern Sudan. The maternity figures are also known, as are stylized and refined objects: neck-rests, flyswats, ivory horns, and musical instruments such as drums, sanzas, and curved harps decorated with a head and ending with a pair of legs.

Masks are rare.

Painted Luba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.219)

Luba Tribe The exact date of the founding of the Luba Kingdom is uncertain. According to oral tradition, the cultural hero Kalala Ilunga conquered the lands of adjacent chiefs along the Lualaba River. He and his successors were venerated as living divinities capable of great power. During the eighteenth century the Luba empire expanded eastward and southward until it reached the basins of the Sankuru and Lomami rivers. Luba art consequently varies regionally and has also influenced the art of neighbouring peoples including the Hemba and the Boyo. Most of the Luba art in Western collections was originally produced in association with royal or chiefly courts and was meant to validate the power of leaders. Luba art forms tend to be delicately modelled and curvilinear, expressing serenity and introspection.

Among the characteristics of Luba sculpture are: intricate hair-dress, often in the form of a cross, or falling down like a cascade; a grooved diagonal band separating the hair-line from the forehead; eyes shaped like coffee-beans; small simplified ‘cat’s ears’; ornamental cicatrices in relief on the body; the surface elaborately worked and polished. The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes. The favourite theme in sculpture was woman since, according to the Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighbouring ethnicities, they would contract profitable political alliances based on marriage. Some figures are freestanding, almost always in a frontal position, often with their hands on their breasts; others are kneeling, sitting, or standing figures whose upraised hands serve as supports for bowls, seats, and neck rests.

Painted Metoko Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.221)

Metoko Tribe The Metoko tribe lives along the Congo River. The 15.000 tribespeople are hunters who live deep in the rainforest. The Metoko have a voluntary association called bukota, whose large membership includes both men and women. Its functions are similar to those of the Lega bwami association as it regulates their social, political and economic life.

Sculptures serve a wide variety of purposes, from providing behavioural models, to encouraging healing, to promoting peace. Angular features and abstract shapes are characteristic of the figures produced by Metoko sculptors. Typically, Metoko masks are usually covered with horizontal and vertical grooves and sculptures are often covered in paint or incised dots.

Painted Luba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.214)

Luba Tribe The exact date of the founding of the Luba Kingdom is uncertain. According to oral tradition, the cultural hero Kalala Ilunga conquered the lands of adjacent chiefs along the Lualaba River. He and his successors were venerated as living divinities capable of great power. During the eighteenth century the Luba empire expanded eastward and southward until it reached the basins of the Sankuru and Lomami rivers. Luba art consequently varies regionally and has also influenced the art of neighbouring peoples including the Hemba and the Boyo. Most of the Luba art in Western collections was originally produced in association with royal or chiefly courts and was meant to validate the power of leaders. Luba art forms tend to be delicately modelled and curvilinear, expressing serenity and introspection.

Among the characteristics of Luba sculpture are: intricate hair-dress, often in the form of a cross, or falling down like a cascade; a grooved diagonal band separating the hair-line from the forehead; eyes shaped like coffee-beans; small simplified ‘cat’s ears’; ornamental cicatrices in relief on the body; the surface elaborately worked and polished. The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes. The favourite theme in sculpture was woman since, according to the Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighbouring ethnicities, they would contract profitable political alliances based on marriage. Some figures are freestanding, almost always in a frontal position, often with their hands on their breasts; others are kneeling, sitting, or standing figures whose upraised hands serve as supports for bowls, seats, and neck rests.

Painted Luba Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.220)

Luba Tribe The exact date of the founding of the Luba Kingdom is uncertain. According to oral tradition, the cultural hero Kalala Ilunga conquered the lands of adjacent chiefs along the Lualaba River. He and his successors were venerated as living divinities capable of great power. During the eighteenth century the Luba empire expanded eastward and southward until it reached the basins of the Sankuru and Lomami rivers. Luba art consequently varies regionally and has also influenced the art of neighbouring peoples including the Hemba and the Boyo. Most of the Luba art in Western collections was originally produced in association with royal or chiefly courts and was meant to validate the power of leaders. Luba art forms tend to be delicately modelled and curvilinear, expressing serenity and introspection.

Among the characteristics of Luba sculpture are: intricate hair-dress, often in the form of a cross, or falling down like a cascade; a grooved diagonal band separating the hair-line from the forehead; eyes shaped like coffee-beans; small simplified ‘cat’s ears’; ornamental cicatrices in relief on the body; the surface elaborately worked and polished. The traditional carvings are for ancestor and spirit cults, for initiation, medical and divination purposes. The favourite theme in sculpture was woman since, according to the Luba myth, vilie was the first woman spirit, founder of the clan and guarantor of fertility and the lineage. Women were cult guardians, and the royal wives played an important role: sent as emissaries to the chiefs of neighbouring ethnicities, they would contract profitable political alliances based on marriage. Some figures are freestanding, almost always in a frontal position, often with their hands on their breasts; others are kneeling, sitting, or standing figures whose upraised hands serve as supports for bowls, seats, and neck rests.

Painted Wombe Sculpture

19th - 20th century x 2019 Wood and acrylic (MA.218)

LONDON 58 Brook Street, London W1K 5DT +44 (0) 207 493 7778 SEOUL 36 Samcheong-ro, 7-gil Jongno-gu +82 27301949 SEOUL 58-4 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu +82 27301949 LOS ANGELES 941 N La Cienega Blvd, California CA 90069 +1 (310) 859 8408 HONG KONG 187 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan +852 26382262 HONG KONG 21 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Global Trade Square +852 26382191 AMMAN 31 Nagdawi Street, Rabieh, Amman, Jordan +44 7710 444642 MARRAKECH 42 Jowhar, Residence Prestigia, 4000 Menara, Guelz-Marrakech +44 7710 444642

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