Tribal Art

Ex-French Le Bret African artcollection.
Remarkable for its quality of execution, this African sculpture named Phemba or Pfemba, embodies the female mediator figure, ancestor of the clan. It presents a child personifying the matrilineal transmission of power. The scarifications in relief dot the bust of the subject. The Yombe indeed decorated their textiles, mats and loincloths, with motifs related to proverbs glorifying work and social unity. The glazed gaze symbolizes clairvoyance. Refined figurative details, artfully hemmed lines from an artist whose anonymity we can deplore, form the specificity of this work. Smooth orange-brown patina. Desiccation cracks.

Clan of the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the west African coast, in the southwest of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternity wards. The use of this type of sculpture remains little known.
Sources: “the Kongo gesture” Ed. Dapper Museum; “Treasures of Africa” Tervuren Museum; “The Soul of Africa” by Diakonoff.