Democratic Republic Of Congo, First Half Of The 20th Century, Little Luba Fetish

Origin: Democratic Republic of Congo
Culture: Luba
Period: First half of the XXth century
Material: Wood
Off stand: 11 cm
Condition: Very nice patina of age
Provenance: From a set of a private collection

Small fetish representing a naked woman standing on the ground short but powerful legs. The arms at right angles are detached from the body, the hands being positioned on each side of the abdomen. The body is characterized by a small chest, an important line of ritual scarifications barring the trunk in almost all. The massive neck supports a large triangular head decorated with very beautiful hair pulled back, the latter materialized by a series of geometric mirror lines falling down to the kidneys. The very fine face welcomes two large almond-shaped almond-shaped eyes framing a short, flat nose. The prognathic mouth is ajar and has thin lips revealing the tongue. A large keloid starting at the base of the scalp and stretching to the base of the nose is counterbalanced by two other scarifications barring the cheeks from the top of the ears to the corner of the lips.

Note the great finesse of this piece and its beautiful old patina.