A RARE AND FINELY CARVED HIPPOPOTAMUS IVORY SCULPTURE OF A KNEELING FIGURE Hungaan, Democratic Republic of the Congo H. ca. 10,6 cm This small sculpture is one of the rare examples of Hungaan pendants with a sculptural design, which is different to the generally flat carvings. The hands are held on the cheeks. This type of pendant was worn around the neck. There are different opinions about the exact function. It could be a fertility symbol or the figures could also be associated with ancestor worship. Weight 92.59 gr. German private collection. According to the owner, the sculpture came from the estate of the Luxembourg ambassador, Mr. Hugues Le Gallais (1896-1964), who worked in the USA from 1940-1958 and received the pendant as a gift from the state. The pendant was acquired by his descendant Edmund Reverchon in 2012. A similar figure is probably in the Rietberg Museum in Zurich, objekt no. ao-0017415-001. - The certificate of the DSEF German Gem Lab, 16.05.2023 confirms the material hippopotamus ivory. - Beautiful creamy patina, fine material crack, in the area of the arms, the neck and the upper edge of the head rest.