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Yombe Phemba figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo
9.5" tall
Wood, beads, glass, pigment
SOLD
An nice figure stylistically in my opinion. The face on this figure is beautiful and has extraordinary character to it with a wonderful profile. The
head is carved looking a little to the left instead of straight on. I like the general presence of the figure, the way the legs are crossed, the lines
of the face, the proportions of the body, I just think that overall it is a very aesthetically pleasing example.
"This figure is most probably an example of a type of sculpture called pfemba (or phemba) that is related to a women's cult concerned with
enhancing fertility and the treatment of infertility. The Kikongo word phemba "denotes 'the one who gives children in-potentia.' A phemba child
is a magically conceived nkisi child, a fragile emissary of the spirit world" (Janzen 1977:88). Oral tradition holds that the pfemba cult was
established by a famous midwife. The very different styles of the sculptures illustrate regional and even personal variations on the same theme.
The figure depicted here would have held a high rank in society, as testified by her cross-legged pose on a pedestal and her many body
adornments. The chiseled teeth, the firm breasts, the Mpu on the head and especially the raised scarification marks indicate ideals of beauty
and perfection. Meant to stimulate sexual pleasure, the scars were considered both beautiful and erotic. The double bracelets around her
upper arms imitate protective charms called nsunga; made of plaited or braided raffia fibers, they are worn by religious experts and by ill
people as a cure.
During their ritual use, the surfaces of these figures were rubbed with a reddish mixture of oil and camwood powder, both a cosmetic and a sign
of mediation. It is no coincidence that in Yombe thought the color red indicates transitional conditions such as death and birth. The fact that
some mother-and-child figures hold or carry what appears to be a dead baby alludes to the close interrelationship in Kongo beliefs between
the spirit world and the world of the living. It has been suggested that the figures were thoroughly cleaned and polished after their use by their
original caretakers. The resinous material on many examples in Western collections seems to have been applied not by the people who made
and used them but by their first Western owners." - From: South of the Sahara: Selected Works of African Art, by Constantine Petridis,
published by Cleveland Museum of Art (February 2004).
Despite its appearance, I believe this object was made by a Yombe carver specifically for the collecting market.
9.5" tall
Wood, beads, glass, pigment
SOLD
An nice figure stylistically in my opinion. The face on this figure is beautiful and has extraordinary character to it with a wonderful profile. The
head is carved looking a little to the left instead of straight on. I like the general presence of the figure, the way the legs are crossed, the lines
of the face, the proportions of the body, I just think that overall it is a very aesthetically pleasing example.
"This figure is most probably an example of a type of sculpture called pfemba (or phemba) that is related to a women's cult concerned with
enhancing fertility and the treatment of infertility. The Kikongo word phemba "denotes 'the one who gives children in-potentia.' A phemba child
is a magically conceived nkisi child, a fragile emissary of the spirit world" (Janzen 1977:88). Oral tradition holds that the pfemba cult was
established by a famous midwife. The very different styles of the sculptures illustrate regional and even personal variations on the same theme.
The figure depicted here would have held a high rank in society, as testified by her cross-legged pose on a pedestal and her many body
adornments. The chiseled teeth, the firm breasts, the Mpu on the head and especially the raised scarification marks indicate ideals of beauty
and perfection. Meant to stimulate sexual pleasure, the scars were considered both beautiful and erotic. The double bracelets around her
upper arms imitate protective charms called nsunga; made of plaited or braided raffia fibers, they are worn by religious experts and by ill
people as a cure.
During their ritual use, the surfaces of these figures were rubbed with a reddish mixture of oil and camwood powder, both a cosmetic and a sign
of mediation. It is no coincidence that in Yombe thought the color red indicates transitional conditions such as death and birth. The fact that
some mother-and-child figures hold or carry what appears to be a dead baby alludes to the close interrelationship in Kongo beliefs between
the spirit world and the world of the living. It has been suggested that the figures were thoroughly cleaned and polished after their use by their
original caretakers. The resinous material on many examples in Western collections seems to have been applied not by the people who made
and used them but by their first Western owners." - From: South of the Sahara: Selected Works of African Art, by Constantine Petridis,
published by Cleveland Museum of Art (February 2004).
Despite its appearance, I believe this object was made by a Yombe carver specifically for the collecting market.
