MAHONGWE RELIQUARY GUARDIAN 27
wood, brass / copper
14.5" high
Gabon
$400
SOLD
Figures like these were mounted on containers holding relics of important clan ancestors, serving as guardians. The Mahongwe are a subgroup of the Bakota, who, like the nearby Fang, also make reliquary guardians. Sheathed in metal (brass or copper strips and wire), the figures are highly abstracted. They are dedicated to Bwitti, the spirit of the ancestors.
In spite of its very nice patina, we have no reason to believe that this piece has seen tribal use.
RETURN TO MAHONGWE GUARDIANS PAGE 2 ( 21-40)
GO TO MAHONGWE GUARDIANS PAGE 1 ( 1-18)
GO TO RELIQUARY GUARDIANS PAGE
GO TO METALWORKS EXHIBITION PAGE
GO TO METALWORKS EXHIBITION PAGE 2