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<p>[QUOTE="2manybooks, post: 4279241, member: 8267"]The Kota peoples are a group of small related tribes that share a variety of cultural styles and practices, living in eastern Gabon and western Republic of Congo. Traditionally, they made reliquaries of bark or basketry ("bwetes") to preserve the bones of important ancestors, and a distinctive carved figure ("mbulu ngulu") was secured on top of the reliquary. The Kota began converting to Christianity early in the 20th century, and between 1940 and 1964 a movement known as the "culte des demoiselles" encouraged the abandonment of traditional practices in favor of Western values and lifestyles. With these changes, reliquary bwetes were no longer made, and the remaining containers and carved figures were destroyed or sold.</p><p>(Jean-Baptiste Bacquart: The Tribal Arts of Africa. Thames & Hudson, 1998)</p><p><br /></p><p>The reliquary figures were collected by westerners as early as the late 19th century, and their abstract forms influenced European artists. The original figures remain highly collectable, which provides an incentive for copies.</p><p><br /></p><p>I strongly suspect yours is a fairly recent approximate copy, made by an unknown west African artisan for sale, rather than an original figure made for use.</p><p><br /></p><p>Looking at other documented Kota reliquary figures, yours shows significant inconsistencies. The first thing I noticed is the relatively naturalistic face - the original figures are much more abstract. The arching headdress on original figures attaches at the center of the head, but becomes unattached as it flares outward. The headdress on yours follows the side of the head. The base of the stem, if it is preserved, usually has a flare or knob that facilitated attaching it to the reliquary container. The stem on yours is simply straight. The brass and copper most often covers almost the entire piece, and is applied as smooth continuous sheets which can be kept polished. The metal on yours is applied as patches, with much of the underlying wood exposed. On original figures, when metal is applied to the lozenge shape at the base, it is attached to the upper portion of the lozenge only rather than to the lower portion that would be more obscured in the reliquary. On yours, the metal is applied to the bottom portion only. Yours also has the crescent under the chin, with holes on either side which seem to be designed to allow the piece to be hung. These features do not appear on any genuine figure that I have seen, and hanging holes would be unnecessary for the way the figures were originally used.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]342642[/ATTACH]</p><p><a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2005.2" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2005.2" rel="nofollow">https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2005.2</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4886" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4886" rel="nofollow">https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4886</a></p><p><a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314591" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314591" rel="nofollow">https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314591</a></p><p><a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310863" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310863" rel="nofollow">https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310863</a></p><p><a href="https://kam.illinois.edu/collection/reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://kam.illinois.edu/collection/reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu" rel="nofollow">https://kam.illinois.edu/collection/reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu</a></p><p><a href="https://collections.mfa.org/objects/23992" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://collections.mfa.org/objects/23992" rel="nofollow">https://collections.mfa.org/objects/23992</a></p><p><a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/shapes-in-the-forest-kota-reliquary-sculpture" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/shapes-in-the-forest-kota-reliquary-sculpture" rel="nofollow">https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/shapes-in-the-forest-kota-reliquary-sculpture</a></p><p><a href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1949-46-272" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1949-46-272" rel="nofollow">https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1949-46-272</a></p><p><a href="https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/72611261_reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu-gabon-kota" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/72611261_reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu-gabon-kota" rel="nofollow">https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/72611261_reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu-gabon-kota</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="2manybooks, post: 4279241, member: 8267"]The Kota peoples are a group of small related tribes that share a variety of cultural styles and practices, living in eastern Gabon and western Republic of Congo. Traditionally, they made reliquaries of bark or basketry ("bwetes") to preserve the bones of important ancestors, and a distinctive carved figure ("mbulu ngulu") was secured on top of the reliquary. The Kota began converting to Christianity early in the 20th century, and between 1940 and 1964 a movement known as the "culte des demoiselles" encouraged the abandonment of traditional practices in favor of Western values and lifestyles. With these changes, reliquary bwetes were no longer made, and the remaining containers and carved figures were destroyed or sold. (Jean-Baptiste Bacquart: The Tribal Arts of Africa. Thames & Hudson, 1998) The reliquary figures were collected by westerners as early as the late 19th century, and their abstract forms influenced European artists. The original figures remain highly collectable, which provides an incentive for copies. I strongly suspect yours is a fairly recent approximate copy, made by an unknown west African artisan for sale, rather than an original figure made for use. Looking at other documented Kota reliquary figures, yours shows significant inconsistencies. The first thing I noticed is the relatively naturalistic face - the original figures are much more abstract. The arching headdress on original figures attaches at the center of the head, but becomes unattached as it flares outward. The headdress on yours follows the side of the head. The base of the stem, if it is preserved, usually has a flare or knob that facilitated attaching it to the reliquary container. The stem on yours is simply straight. The brass and copper most often covers almost the entire piece, and is applied as smooth continuous sheets which can be kept polished. The metal on yours is applied as patches, with much of the underlying wood exposed. On original figures, when metal is applied to the lozenge shape at the base, it is attached to the upper portion of the lozenge only rather than to the lower portion that would be more obscured in the reliquary. On yours, the metal is applied to the bottom portion only. Yours also has the crescent under the chin, with holes on either side which seem to be designed to allow the piece to be hung. These features do not appear on any genuine figure that I have seen, and hanging holes would be unnecessary for the way the figures were originally used. [ATTACH=full]342642[/ATTACH] [URL]https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2005.2[/URL] [URL]https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4886[/URL] [URL]https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314591[/URL] [URL]https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310863[/URL] [URL]https://kam.illinois.edu/collection/reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu[/URL] [URL]https://collections.mfa.org/objects/23992[/URL] [URL]https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/shapes-in-the-forest-kota-reliquary-sculpture[/URL] [URL]https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_Af1949-46-272[/URL] [URL]https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/72611261_reliquary-guardian-figure-mbulu-ngulu-gabon-kota[/URL][/QUOTE]
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How old is this African mask/reliquary?
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