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Fine Early 20th Century Bongo Ancestral Post
About the Item
This fine early twentieth-century ancestral post, from the Bongo culture in South Sudan, takes the form of a tall, multiple-ringed column. Carved from a hard wood, the post exhibits a beautiful weathered, worn and bleached surface. Surmounting the body of the column - which features rounded, geometric rings - is a thick-necked, stylised head of a male. Although faded as a result of weathering over time, the male's facial features can still be clearly delineated. Rather unusually, the male's head is depicted wearing a colonial-era pith helmet.
The Bongo are one of several closely affiliated groups (Bongo, Belanda, Sara) that moved from Chad in the sixteenth century to the grasslands of South Sudan. In Bongo culture, large anthropomorphic pole-like sculptures, such as this fine and early example, recognised and honoured deceased male elites, hunters, warriors, chiefs or locally significant individuals. In some cases, the heads on top of the poles refer to the people slain by Bongo hunters.
Height (Excl. Custom-Made Stand): 135cm
Height (Incl. Custom-Made Stand): 147cm
Width of Post: 20cm
Width of Custom-Made Stand: 24cm
Depth of Post: 17cm
Depth of Custom-Made Stand: 24cm
Estimated Period: First Quarter of 20th Century
Ex Private Collection, UK
References:
Tom Phillips (Ed.) Africa: The Art of a Continent, Royal Academy of Arts (1995-1996) pp. 137-138
Klaus-Jochen Krüger, 'The Arts of Bahr-el-Ghazal'
- Dimensions:Height: 57.88 in (147 cm)Width: 9.45 in (24 cm)Depth: 9.45 in (24 cm)
- Style:Tribal (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:First Quarter of 20th Century
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU8736236712142
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- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
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