189 - Reliquary Guardian Figure – Mbumba, Sango, Gabon.

Reliquary Guardian Figure – Mbumba, Sango, Gabon. A reliquary effigy with an ovoid head topped by a striated ogival headdress, featuring a face animated by two protruding circular eyes and a triangular nose. The face is entirely adorned with fine horizontal metal strips in shades of copper and gold, extending down the long cylindrical neck. The openwork diamond-shaped base, punctuated with metal cabochons, features a deep brown-black patina, as well as signs of wear and surface alterations. A particularly graphic composition, characteristic of the Sango ancestral figures from the Kota region. Height: 51 cm