Mangbetu Female Figure. Origin: Both Congo Republics (see cultural and contextual notes below.) Size: 14 x 6 x 8 cm. Medium: Clay, glass trade beads & pigments.
 

 
 
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African Origins ship dozens of international orders every week to every corner of the globe. We generally use Australia Post, a reliable, economic and fast service which also features online tracking. For multiple orders weighing over five kilograms we ship or via International Air Courier which also features online tracking. Please feel free to contact us directly with your country and zip code if you have any questions or special requirements regarding shipping or wish to obtain a quote for shipping to your area. We are happy to calculate combined postage quotes for multiple items.

 

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 African Origins sells tribal objects which have been used, in some cases, for many, many years. We ask that you carefully study the photographs relating to each object prior to committing to purchase. In the event that you are unhappy with your purchase for any reason, we accept refunds within seven days of purchase. We offer a full refund or a credit note valid for twelve months, which ever you prefer.

 

 About African Origins

 

African Origins has been trading online since 2007. We are constantly on the look out for interesting objects to add to our collection. Our tribal collection is sourced from tribal dealers,auction houses, private collections the world over and also collected in the field.. Where possible, we will specify the provenance of important individual tribal objects.

 

 

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 In the middle of the 18th century the Mangbetu people left the Sudan, they re-located their kingdom in the north-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their social structure is not dissimilar to other Zairian forest-based tribes where the men hunt and fish, while the women are left to cultivate the fields. Yams, manioc and plantains are the primary crops, and some cattle farming is done.
Unlike other Sudanic peoples, however, among the Mangbetu only the men are permitted to do the milking. Livestock is seen as a symbol of wealth and is often exchanged for bride prices. Ultimate authority over the 40,000 Mangbetu rests with a king whose sons govern the various provinces, which are divided into districts and villages. Mangbetu art, famous for its realism, is a court art.Wooden figures are believed to be ancestral portraits. It was developed particularly in terms of everyday objects under the impetus of the clan chiefs who wanted to show off their power and wealth.
 
 Royal celebrations, which took place in large vaulted sheds, were opportunities for exhibiting objects of luxury and refinement: pipes, palm wine jars featuring sculpted figures and heads, tree-bark boxes with covers decorated with heads, harps and trumpets played by wandering musicians, ornamental horns in worked ivory. Decorated thrones and knives were also part of the royal regalia. The Mangbetu tradition of compressing an infant's head with raffia in order to obtain an elongated skull is apparent in the statues. The elongation is further enhanced by a high coiffure finishing in a cup-like finial.