Fang Style Reliquary Figure, Gabon Second Half Of The 20th Century

Fang style reliquary figure, Gabon
Second half of the 20th century
Height of the statuette 28cm Total height approximately 57cm
(small upholstery nails reinforcing the lid of the box)

- €340 -

These figures served as a talisman or guardian to protect the remains of ancestors. Known as bieri, byeri or mwan bian. The most common characteristics are short and rounded body parts, a long torso, a large head, a prominent forehead and a concave face. Some older figures had cavities in the abdomen to store the bones of ancestors. The figures are only completed after being ceremonially presented and coated with palm oil. Members of the community regularly visited the figures and coated them with oil to preserve their protective powers. The Byeri figure served as a protective statue to surmount the Byeri reliquary chest where the bones of important ancestors were kept. It was during colonization that many of these reliquaries had to be destroyed due to pressure from missionaries and the government.

http://www.quai-favieres-antiquites.com/