63 - Scepter of Power

Scepter of Power topped by a hand with a raised index finger Wood, original honey- and brown-colored patina, signs of wear. Luba Hemba, Democratic Republic of the Congo. H: 47 cm Provenance: Yves Créhalet Collection, Paris. Acquired at Galerie Aethiopia, Paris, on September 10, 2016, during the Parcours des Mondes. This scepter features a standing ancestral figure topped by a shaft adorned with female heads arranged in a Janus-like manner. A hand with clenched fingers—only the index finger pointing toward the sky—crowns the ensemble. The elongated forms and succession of faces emphasize the verticality of this sculpture, dominated by the expressive power of the gesture. As a symbol of the chief’s authority, this scepter affirms the symbolic dimension of his power. The raised index finger could be interpreted as a call to invisible forces, invoked to legitimize his authority. General Bibliography: François Neyt, *La Grande Statuaire hemba du Zaïre*, Louvain-la-Neuve, Institut supérieur d’archéologie et d’histoire de l’art, 1977.