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African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting
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Sculptural Element from a Reliquary
Gabon; Kota peoples, Obamba or Mindumu groups, 19th century
Wood, brass, copper; H. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm)
Provenance: [Olivier le Corneur, Paris]; [Alain de Monbrison, Paris, before 1984]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1984
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In Kota society, reverence for exalted ancestors was directed towards family reliquaries. Such ensembles were composed of bundles of sacred relics affixed to the lower part of schematic sculptural evocations encased in precious metals. This especially lovely Kota sculptural element is characterized by the refined precision of its exacting composition, contrasting chromatic palette, and play between recessed and projecting elements. Kota patrons especially appreciated the luminous, reflective quality of the metallic surfaces, and different types of metal were often used on a single work to enhance this effect. Here three different tones of metal are strategically integrated into a lively and especially delicate tribute to an extended family's forbearers.
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