| Lengola ubanga nyama figures Democratic Republic of the Congo I love these figures with the outstretched arms! |
| The wonderful Lengola figures display at the Hamill Gallery of African art in Boston. I would love to have them all !! |
| But...I will settle for the group below! |
| 60" tall A really fascinating figure when you look at it in person. Someday I'll get some photos taken that show it's character. |
| The figure on the left is mounted on the base without it's legs. The legs were very delicate and it was too unstable to mount the full figure on the base. I love the form of these wonderful figures. Old and authentic examples of these figures are very rare. My 3 examples are not very old, but I truly enjoy them for the forms they represent. The figure on the right is stylistically more "correct" than my other 2 examples if you compare my figures stylistically to the examples I have provided below of other Lengola figures, but I really enjoy the figure on the left the most. Additional photos coming soon... |
|
| 60" tall (without the legs) Photos: Tim Hamill |
| Additional examples for reference |
| From the book - The Tribal Arts of Africa Lengola figure wood, pigment height 194cm (76") - Private collection The role of these Lengola figures was either to ensure social stability or to represent the spirits during circumcision ceremonies of Lengola boys. |
| From the book: African Art in American Collections Lengola figure wood, pigment, 60.5" (153.7cm) In the collection of The Reverend Raymond E. Britt, Jr. "Suway, the Lengola founding ancestor, is represented by a figure set up in the village upon the death of an important leader." This same figure is also illustrated below |
| Sotheby's Nov 11, 2005 - LOT 108 PROPERTY FROM THE RAYMOND E. BRITT FAMILY COLLECTION A RARE LENGOLA FIGURE estimate 50,000—70,000 USD SOLD for $90,000 MEASUREMENTS height 60 1/2 in. 153.7cm DESCRIPTION ubanga nyami, of overall elongated articulated form, the lenticular legs inserted at the hips of the torso with pendant phallus and gently flared at the center beneath the square chest with arms inserted at the sides and splayed outward with pointed fingers, the head inserted at the top with a domed and a heart-shaped facial plane, with raised coffee-bean eyes; the whole blackened and encrusted with large areas of kaolin. PROVENANCE Alvin Abrams, New York, November 1979 LITERATURE AND REFERENCES Bradley 1982: 11, catalogue number 7, catalogue of the exhibition, Notre Dame, Indiana, The Snite Museum of Art, 1982 Robbins and Nooter 1989: 491, catalogue number 1270 CATALOGUE NOTE Large Lengola figures of veneration, such as the Britt figure, are known as ubanga nyama. They were erected in the center of a village after the death of a chief. These minimalist sculptures are thought to represent the Lengola’s founding ancestor, Suway. Such figures are rare (Neyt 1981: 38) and their exact function is unknown (Biebuyck 1986:240). Biebuyck suggests the figures allowed invocations to be made, specifically by men (1977:54). The figures can be disassembled, possibly for storage purposes or portability, as they are used infrequently. Typically, ubanga nyama are of elongated proportions, with a small, articulated chest above a long trunk issuing lenticular limbs. The figures also display cruciform arms framing a concave, heart-shaped face. Most figures were painted at some time. Stylistically, Lengola figures share formal qualities with the art of their neighbors, the Lega (Biebuyck 1986:240). The distinctive treatment of the face, the concave heart-shaped and linear features is characteristic of both groups. For closely related figures see Neyt (1981: 42, figure II.12); Maurer (c 1991: 97, catalogue number 81) for a figure from the Mestach Collection, and Gillon (1979: 138, figure 169) for another from the MRAC, Baselitz (2003, figure 97). The Baselitz figure, like the Britt figure, displays dramatic contrast with a light patina on the face and lower limbs. |
| "Prof. Georg Baselitz before his favorite figure with raised arms" From the opening of the exhibition "Baselitz: Africa collection " http://www.kunstdunst.de/baselitz.htm |
| Lengola figure GALERIE VON MILLER http://www.galerievonmiller.de/15%20jahre.html |
| From the book: Art from Zaire - 100 masterworks from the National Collection (1975) Cult figure. Wood. Height: approx. 85" (2130 mm). Baluku locality, Obundu zone. This statue is called ubanga nyama. It represents Suway, the ancestor of the Lengola people. The statue is mounted in the center of the village only when a Mungamba noble dies. It is exhibited after the burial so that men in the village may make an invocation to their ancestor. Women do not participate in the ceremony. The figure breaks down into six adjustable pieces. |
| Example below is of a smaller/different type of Lengola figure for reference purposes. |
| Sotheby's - New York African & Oceanic Art Auction Date : Nov 14, 2003 Lot 83 : A LENGOLA FIGURE Description DETAILED DESCRIPTION standing on a circular base, the elongated cylindrical body with arms held out to the sides beneath the head with heart shaped facial plane and coffee bean eyes, the whole decorated with black pigment and white dots; varied and encrusted medium brown patina. Dimensions height 28in. 71cm Estimate:$ 10,000 - $ 15,000 Price Realized:$ 12,000 Provenance PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF HAROLD AND FLORENCE ROME Aquired from Rene Van der Straete, 1974 |
| A Lengola monoxylous figure wood; height 55cm (22") Ernst Anspach Collection, NY |
| Sotheby's London, November 1987 - LOT 289 A Lengola wood figure of stylised form, standing with legs apart on an oval base, prominent sex, the attenuated arms bent to form angles with the narrow elongated body, the oval head with long straight nose, small straight mouth and straight slightly protruding eyes, the face, lower legs and sex painted white, the body painted black with white dots. 73cm (28 3/4") Estimated 4,000 - 6000 British pounds |
| Above I made mention of the similarities of the faces of Lengola figures and Lega figures. A Lega piece from my collection and is in the center and my 2 Lengola pieces are on each side. You can see the strong similarities in the faces of the figures. |
| My Lega figure (above) |
| A Lega figure with upraised arms. LEGA (Central Africa): Kasungalala, wood, 19th century, Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco |
| Where would you like to go next: Rand African Art home page |
