African art > African statues : tribal fetish, maternity > Statue Chokwe

Statue Chokwe (N° 14494)

This monoxyle piece depicts a chef welcoming visitors as required by royal protocol: by clapping his hands as a welcome. This gesture is also a mark of assent. The statue was carved in the style of the School of Moxico". Human hair makes up his beard.
The character also plays the mythical hero, founder of the Chokwé ethnic group. Easily recognizable by his ample headdress with curved side wings ( cipenya-mutwe ), he had taught his people the art of hunting. The chiefs had a major function in the propitiation rites intended for the hunting and fertility of women, the objects being adorned with this figure thus, presumably, a protective function.

The repatry application of castor oil and dyes vegetable decoctions has endowed the sculpture with a black brown patina with mahogany reflections.
Desication cracks.
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 sanctity of power. Nevertheless, the Chokwes never fully embraced these new social and political contributions. Three centuries later, they eventually seized the capital of Lunda weakened by internal conflicts, thus contributing to the dismantling of the kingdom. The Chokwe did not have centralized power but great chiefdoms. They were the ones who attracted artists who wanted to put their know-how at the exclusive service of the court. The artists created so many varied and quality pieces that the Lunda court employed only them.  

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Originex-collection française
EthnyChokwe
Countryangola
Material(s)wood
Height cm49
Width15 cm
Weight2.15 Kg
Estimated dating2ème halfxx°

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