Pierre Dartevelle (1940–2022), Brussels

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

Art & Culture, no. 3, Geneva: Fondation Musée Barbier-Mueller, 2002, p. 17 (Advertisement Galerie Dartevelle)

This finely carved byeri figure is a characteristic example of the short-proportioned sculptural tradition of the southern Fang, particularly that of the Betsi. In terms of proportions, the large head accounts for nearly one-third of the figure’s overall height, a ratio echoed by the substantial mass of the lower limbs. The sculptor favoured compact and powerful forms: the arms and shoulders remain closely integrated with the torso, while the helmet-like coiffure, surmounted by a central crest and framed by a broad frontal band, envelops the head before extending well beyond the nape of the neck.

This sculpture may be compared with several related works that appear to have been produced by the same hand or workshop. These include the example formerly in the McKesson Collection, New York; the figure preserved in the Museum der Kulturen, Basel (inv. no. III.439; see Louis Perrois, Byeri Fang. Sculptures d’ancêtres en Afrique, Musées de Marseille, 1992, pp. 192–194); the example formerly in the H. Simonis Collection, Düsseldorf (see Sabrina Förster, Galerie Simonis. Afrikanische Kunst, n.d., H. 44 cm, ex Alain de Monbrison Collection); and the figure from the Arman Collection (see Alain Nicolas, ed., Arman et l’art africain, Musées de Marseille, 1996, p. 73, cat. 22), collected in Gabon by G. Lowenguth between 1922 and 1930.

All of these sculptures share the same stylistic features: an oversized head, a compact structure, an enveloping coiffure with a central crest, and a highly condensed treatment of volumes. Together, these characteristics suggest the hand of a particularly gifted sculptor or the production of a distinct regional workshop within the Fang artistic tradition.