Fang Reliquary Head Gabon African Art Collection

Description

Title
Fang Reliquary Head Gabon African Art Collection
Type of Object
Carving, Figure, Statue, Sculpture
Country of Origin
Gabon
People
Fang
Materials
Wood
Approximate Age
20th century
Height (in)
18.5
Width (in)
7
Depth (in)
6
Other Dimensions
Height: 18.5 Inches
Width: 7 Inches
Depth: 6 Inches
Overall Condition
Fair to Good. Most of our pieces have spent decades on at least two continents, and have been treasured by several owners.   Small splits, scrapes and cracks are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.  We examine each piece carefully when we receive it and report any damage we find in our listings.  Please look carefully at the pictures which may also reveal condition and damage.
Damage/Repair
Arrested bug damage.
Additional Information:
This example is a well carved head that was probably attached to a basket or a box of relics.
This head shape is often identified with figures and masks common throughout a region stretching from Cameroon, through Gabon to the Atlantic coastal area.
The function of this interesting and unique old carving is unknown, however due to the quality of carving and the details of the face that are similar to figural images found the family altar we identify it with the Fang Byeri funerary cult.
Byeri reliquary held the bones of ancestors and were venerated through annual ceremonies at which they were present in the form of the sculptures. Photographed as early as 1907 (Tessmann 1913/1972, vol. II) the cult of Byeri began to lose its prominence after 1910 due to French colonial government pressure. In the past figures would often be embellished with native copper bands around arms or wrists and some would hold in front of them miniature ancestor figures or carved animal horns known as Nlakh or small cups used in Byeri rituals honoring ancestors
Recommended Reading:
Siroto, L.
‘East of the Atlantic, West of the Congo, Art from Equatorial Africa’.
1995.
Louis Perrois, FANG, 5 Continents, 2006.
From the Collection of Robert Pearson, Denver, Colorado
Bob Pearson began collecting African art later in his life.  He was a n engineer, inveterate climber, and long-time collector of books and paintings.  Spurred by the Douglas Society at the Denver Museum of Art, and his friendship with noted collector George Heggarty, he began building an enormous, eclectic collection. His African art library grew to several hundred books.  He loved textiles and “material culture”-things which had domestic use, like spoons, cups, stools, and chairs, as well as masks and carvings.  His collection included items from more than thirty African countries, and his fine eye gave him pieces ranging from a golddust scale to huge Dogon figural ladders.  Africa Direct is honored to have been chosen to sell them.
**131039**
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