Description
MITSOGHO, GABON. House post. The top features a stylized face. Wood and pigments. Height 170 - Width 15.5 cm (accident to the rhombus and restoration, traces of glue) Provenance: Yves Ebrard, friend and partner of Claude Andrault. Misson Andrault then French private collection. A similar work from the same provenance sold by Galerie Ratton. The Mitsogho, a Bantu people from Central Africa settled in central Gabon, notably in the Ngounié region, are renowned for their elaborate initiation rite known as bwiti, which later spread throughout the country. This rite enabled initiates to gain knowledge of the world, of themselves and of humanity, according to the beliefs and ideologies of these ethnic groups. The initiation rite took place in the temple, the men's house called, for the Tsogho tsogho, Ebanza, whose roof was carried, supported and maintained by pillars sculpted either with one or more figures, or with symbolic geometric motifs. Mythical entities were thus materialized in architectural elements. Some were installed in pairs in the sanctuary, embodying the male/female duality, symbolically representing the male ancestor known as disumba, and the mother ancestor known as gheonga. mother called gheonga, this primary duality translated into an elaborate codification of colors, the fem signifying the white of kaolin, the ba translating into the red of padouk: the white and red line drawn on the forehead as in this rare specimen indicates the "marking of those initiated into bwiti, who know secrets unknown to most." This work, a rare architectural element from the Ebanza temple, is a long, elongated, flattened pillar whose surface is decorated with alternating triangular and diamond-shaped geometrical motifs enhanced with black, white and red pigments, the whole divided by a long red median line. The figure's neck, signified by a white rhombus with black edges, has a horizontal rhombus in its center, highlighted in red. The entire surface of the stylized face is covered in kaolin, with its pointed cheeks tapering and stretching geometrically to the sides, and its rounded top highlighted in red and black. The small, tapered eyes are magnified by fine, arched, black eyebrow arches, almost forming a heart shape, and skilfully linked to the small, triangular nose. A long, rectangular tongue a long, rectangular red tongue. Expert : Madame Aurore Krier-Mariani.
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MITSOGHO, GABON. House post. The top features a stylized face. Wood and pigments. Height 170 - Width 15.5 cm (accident to the rhombus and restoration, traces of glue) Provenance: Yves Ebrard, friend and partner of Claude Andrault. Misson Andrault then French private collection. A similar work from the same provenance sold by Galerie Ratton. The Mitsogho, a Bantu people from Central Africa settled in central Gabon, notably in the Ngounié region, are renowned for their elaborate initiation rite known as bwiti, which later spread throughout the country. This rite enabled initiates to gain knowledge of the world, of themselves and of humanity, according to the beliefs and ideologies of these ethnic groups. The initiation rite took place in the temple, the men's house called, for the Tsogho tsogho, Ebanza, whose roof was carried, supported and maintained by pillars sculpted either with one or more figures, or with symbolic geometric motifs. Mythical entities were thus materialized in architectural elements. Some were installed in pairs in the sanctuary, embodying the male/female duality, symbolically representing the male ancestor known as disumba, and the mother ancestor known as gheonga. mother called gheonga, this primary duality translated into an elaborate codification of colors, the fem signifying the white of kaolin, the ba translating into the red of padouk: the white and red line drawn on the forehead as in this rare specimen indicates the "marking of those initiated into bwiti, who know secrets unknown to most." This work, a rare architectural element from the Ebanza temple, is a long, elongated, flattened pillar whose surface is decorated with alternating triangular and diamond-shaped geometrical motifs enhanced with black, white and red pigments, the whole divided by a long red median line. The figure's neck, signified by a white rhombus with black edges, has a horizontal rhombus in its center, highlighted in red. The entire surface of the stylized face is covered in kaolin, with its pointed cheeks tapering and stretching geometrically to the sides, and its rounded top highlighted in red and black. The small, tapered eyes are magnified by fine, arched, black eyebrow arches, almost forming a heart shape, and skilfully linked to the small, triangular nose. A long, rectangular tongue a long, rectangular red tongue. Expert : Madame Aurore Krier-Mariani.
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