African Arts Gallery

Honey-colored ancestor figure, representing a woman without a neck, her arms surrounding a stocky bust. The bony face bears a scarified symbolic motif called kalunga among the Chokwe.
Satin patina, erosions at the top.
Of Lunda origin, the Lwena emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, repulsed by the Chokwe. Some, the Lovale, found refuge in Zambia. They became known for their honey-colored sculptures, embodying figures of deceased ancestors and chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda. Peacefully settled in eastern Angola until the 16th century, the Chokwé were then subjected to the Lunda empire from which they inherited a new hierarchical system and the sacredness of power. The Chokwé did not have centralized power but large chiefdoms. They were the ones who attracted artists wishing to put their know-how at the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many varied pieces and of such quality that the Lunda court only employed them.