Female Hemba Ancestral Figure from DRC

This tall wooden piece is a female ancestral figure standing with bare feet and legs slightly apart on a round base. She has an elongated torso and arms with them positioned down at the sides of the torso. Her hands with fingers are resting on the abdomen. The hair style has two side braids which descend to double braids in the back.

Typical of Hemba carvings, there are tribal scarification marks on the front and back of the torso, the face, the arched bows, the breasts and the neck along with upper arm bands.

The African Hemba people are also known as Eastern Luba people and are a Bantu ethnic group of the Congo. 

Although the Luba people failed to keep the southern Hemba in their kingdom, they also have considerable cultural influences. Art forms, including wooden sculptures representing ancestors, are similar in style to Luba sculptures. Hemba art is borrowed from the Luba. Hemba female wooden sculptures generally have extensive scarification marks.

This piece is fixed to a square black wooden base and would be perfect for a range of décor styles from Mid-Century Modern, 1970s Revival, Contemporary or Eclectic.   

Place of Origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Date of Manufacture: 1950s-1970s

Condition: Excellent 

Wear: There are some chips and a vertical crack on the base which are consistent with age. Please refer to the pictures. 

Dimensions: 26 in. H X 5 in. W X 5 in. D