Tribal Art

A golden, lustrous surface accompanies this OviMbundu bust sculpture. The top of the head is encrusted with ritual materials. This fetish was associated with female initiation rituals, linked to fertility, or played a role during divinatory ceremonies. The rectangular arms extend from short fingered hands under a small chest. The head, offering an oval face with fine features, wears a hairstyle pulled back. Orange patina, dark traces of ritual anointing, desiccation cracks.
It is on the Benguela plateau in Angola that the Ovimbudu, Ovimbundu, have been established for several centuries, made up of farmers and breeders. Forming the largest ethnic group in Angola, they belong to Bantu speakers, such as Nyaneka, Handa, Nkhumbi, and other groups from the region of Huila, or Wila. Their statuary made in light wood is relatively limited.
Ref. : "Black African tribal art" ed. Assouline; "Treasures of Africa" ​​Museum of Tervuren.