Description: Welcome To The Premier Place For Serious Collectors of Fine Authentic African Tribal Art Over 10 Years Online Serving Thousands of Satisfied Customers Offering the Finest Quality Sub-Saharan African Art Striking African DRC Tabwa Figure Measurement: Height: 9 Inches Measurement: Height: 23 Centimeters Measurement Figure Only Material: Wood Estimated Age: Early 20th Century Condition: Fair Remarks: Stylized figure elaborate coiffure raised scarifications dark patina INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS WELCOME CONDITION Wood deterioration especially to base, chips and age cracks, worn areas, overall condition fair. Thank you and please view my other items. BACKGROUND The Tabwa people lived under Luba domination in small autonomous villages scattered within a territory that expanded from the southeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the northeast of Zambia, along Lake Tanganyika. The verb "Tabwa" means "to be tied up" and refers to when these people were taken as slaves. During the 19th century, the ivoory trade brought wealth to the region and Tabwa people gained their independence. Today, they are led by chiefs-sorcerers who rule over village chiefs and family chiefs. Their power is counterbalanced by male societies created on Luba prototypes and by female associations influenced by East African models. Traditionally, Tabwa people made their living from hunting and blacksmithing; nowadays they cultivate millet, manioc, cassava, beans, and corn, but they live primarily off fishing and hunting, for game is plentiful. The influence of Eastern Tanzanian neighbors on Tabwa art is seen in their use of linear geometric decorations, while their western neighbors, the Luba, influenced the incorporation of prestige objects into Tabwa life. The Tabwa worshipped ancestors, whose statues were the property of the lineage chiefs and sorcerers; these carried “medications” in their ears or in small cavities at the top of their heads. The Tabwa also worshipped the spirits of nature, who lived in trees and rocks. The installation of a supreme chief is of relatively recent vintage; formerly it was the function of the large ancestor figures to consolidate the power of the chiefs. Other statuettes were used for divination. The Tabwa also made twin figures that could be both dangerous and bearers of good luck. In the north of Tabwa country, the diviner was also a sculptor; consulted after a dream, he would create a new statue. Special attention was paid to scarifications, which embellish the body and recall social values. On the whole surface of the body, a recurrent motif consists of twinned isosceles triangles, the two bases of which symbolize the duality of life. They evoke the coming of the new moon, essential to Tabwa philosophy, whose return would be celebrated monthly. The Tabwa used two types of masks: a human one, which represented woman, and another in the form of a buffalo head, which represented man. Both would make an appearance at the time of the fecundity ritual, celebrated for sterile women. One also finds paddles, combs, and musical instruments with figurines. Painter Fred Uhlman words - Most of the artists I admired, Picasso, Modigliani, Deraini, to mention only a few, had collected African art and had been profoundly influenced by it. Shortly afterwards I bought the Baule Fetish and the Baule bobbin which are still two of the finest pieces in my collection. It is easy to see why I bought them and why from that moment I have never stopped collecting. The head of the bobbin or heddle - pulley which is after all only a functional object for the purpose of weaving seemed to me then and today as beautiful as a Greek goddess. The fetish moved me as deeply as the bobbin by its silent tragic dignity and its air of profound meditation. GUARANTEE AUTHENTICITY AND CONDITION OF ITEMS ARE GUARANTEE TO THEIR DESCRIPTION. IF THE ITEM IS FOUND TO BE NOT AS DESCRIBED OR PICTURED, FULL REIMBURSEMENT OF THE WINNING BID AMOUNT AND SHIPPING CHARGE WILL BE GIVEN. QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL WITH ANY QUESTIONS, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, OR MORE DETAIL PICTURES. SHIPPING SHIPPING VIA USPS PRIORITY MAIL UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COST PLEASE INQUIRE.
Price: 160 USD
Location: Huntersville, North Carolina
End Time: 2024-10-25T03:33:10.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Original/Reproduction: Original
Material: Wood
Tribe: Tabwa
