Ngata coffin figure called bonganga-nganga, Democratic Republic of the Congo
49" tall x 12"wide x 10" deep
Wood, pigment, metal
This object is being sold on consignment from a private collection
$250 - (SOLD)
"All sculpture made among the Ngata is related to their elaborate funerary rituals. Best known are the very rare large wooden anthropomorphic
polychromed coffins, which exist in both male and female forms. Reports about their use conflict, but what is certain is that they were carved in
secrecy at a sacred clearing in the forest called Efomba by a ritual specialist woodcarver, bobongo, and the coffin is called bonganga-nganga.
The large ones were made for big chiefs only, whereas smaller ones were made for lesser chiefs. Some accounts say that the corpse was buried
first, and the remains dug up after a certain period of time. Then the skeleton was put in the coffin that was lowered into the river. Other accounts
state that the corpse was put directly into a coffin and buried with it. Still others say that dug-up remains were put in a coffin that was displayed in
a hut built on top of the tomb. This last version seems the most plausible. We know a few monoxylic funerary figures in the same style but smaller
in size. These anthropomorphic figures were put on the tombs of important people, in a small house built solely for that purpose. Hunters of great
prestige had zoomorphic figures in wood placed on their graves. Some accounts mention terracotta figures put on the graves of women, but
these are otherwise undocumented.
The faces are often heartshaped with polychromy, such as red, ochre, white, Reckitt's blue, black. The figures themselves are most often red
and white, with a herringbone pattern to give the figure an appearance of even more height." - from Ethnographica.com
Authentic Ngata figures are extremely rare and most all known figures are in museum collections and early private collections. These figures
have been produced specifically for the collecting market for many years due to their rarity and early popularity. I believe this figure was made
specifically for the collecting market.
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