Sotheby’s, London, Pre-Columbian, Oceanic and African Art, 6 July 1982, lot 190

Philippe Guimiot (1927–2021), Brussels

Claude-Henri Pirat, Brussels

Jean-Jacques Rotthier Collection (1932–2009), Brussels, then by descent

Maurer (Evan M.) and Roberts (Allen F.), The Rising of a New Moon: A Century of Tabwa Art, University of Michigan Museum of Art, 1985, p. 234, no. 79

Pirat (Claude-Henri), Du fleuve Niger au fleuve Congo. Une aventure africaine, Paris, 2014, pp. 36–37, fig. 5

This sculpture depicts a revered ancestor, likely a Tabwa ruler, distinguished by an elaborate coiffure. During the second half of the nineteenth century, elite Tabwa families rose to prominence through regional trade and sought to legitimize their authority by emphasizing lineage, in a manner comparable to that of the Luba. In some cases, royal genealogies were constructed and reinforced through sculptural representations of past leaders, giving rise to a distinct genre of figural sculpture that embodied dynastic continuity and political authority.

The figure’s raised geometric scarification signifies both moral and intellectual refinement. Within Tabwa belief systems, the deliberate adornment of the body reflected ideals of civilization and enlightenment. Particular emphasis is placed on the forehead, regarded as the seat of dreams and a source of visionary insight.