African Arts Gallery

Scarifications abound on the body and the face of this naturalist African statue whose child is carried on the hip. These "maternities" and statuettes were supposed to protect the child and his mother. Grainy matte patina.
The different types of Luluwa, Lulua, or even Béna Lulua statues, with multiple scarifications, glorify local chiefs, motherhood, fertility and the female figure. This sculptural art was subject to the influences of neighboring ethnic groups (Chokwe, Luba, Kuba, ...)
It is in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo that the Lulua, or Béna Lulua, settled from West Africa. Their social structure, based on caste, is similar to that of the Luba. They produced few masks, but mostly statues of ancestors representing the ideal warrior, mulalenga wa nkashaama, as well as the leader of the Leopard society and mbulenga statuettes linked to the spirits of nature. (Black African tribal art. JB Bacquart)