Collection of Mr. R. du M.

Laurin Guilloux-Buffetaud-Tailleur, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Tableaux Modernes. Arts Primitifs. Antiques Haute Epoque, 21 juin 1984, lot 109

Jean-Claude Bellier, until 1995

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

This figure represents a masterful exercise in reduction, in which the human form is distilled into a rhythmic interplay of line, light, and volume. The flattened copper strips radiate from a central axis, creating a shimmering, dynamic surface that evokes the reflective qualities of water, a symbolic threshold to the ancestral realm.

Through the deliberate enlargement of the head and the use of hammered zigzag and linear motifs, the sculpture assumes the role of a guardian visage protecting the sacred relics preserved beneath it. In the West, copper is valued primarily for its electrical conductivity; within the Bwete tradition, however, it serves another conductive function. More than a static guardian, this work acts as a conduit for spiritual forces, intended to attract the gaze and mediate between the material and supernatural worlds.