78 - Bust of a member of the Fang people. Gabon, first half of the 20th century.

Bust of a member of the Fang people. Gabon, first half of the 20th century. Carved wood. Measurements: 43 x 13 x 15 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. Human head carved in the round from wood. It depicts an idealized face with perfectly balanced, gently curved lines. The Fang are primarily a hunting people, though they also practice agriculture and livestock raising. Their social structure is based on the clan and the family. For a long time, the Fang were a constantly migrating people, settling in a given place for only a few years at a time. Since they have always lived primarily in equatorial forests, they used mainly wood, bamboo, and plant fibers for their sculptures. Possessing a rich oral tradition—the foundation of their customs and beliefs—the Fang developed a highly sophisticated form of ritual sculpture.