Iginga (human figure)

19th–early 20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 344

Guiding communal moral development, the bwami society taught that all things have magala, an undefined, diffuse force. Members harnessed magala by transforming objects and materials into masengo, "heavy things" lifted from daily life or objects created specifically for bwami teachings. While little documentation exists about Lega artists, recent scholarship suggests that they likely specialized in carving sculptures and masks or in creating objects that are found and bound together. In both instances the artist operated on commission, receiving a general description and creating the desired object in an isolated workshop to protect the uninitiated from seeing a restricted piece. Ivory and wood sculptures of the human figure were among those potent forms entrusted only to members of the highest grades of bwami. The political turmoil that followed independence in 1960, and the 1994 Tutsi genocide in neighboring Rwanda, had a devastating impact on Lega communities and the continuity of bwami.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Iginga (human figure)
Artist: Lega artist
Date: 19th–early 20th century
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Culture: Lega peoples
Medium: Ivory
Dimensions: H. 10 1/2 in. × W. 3 in. × D. 3 in. (26.7 × 7.6 × 7.6 cm)
Classification: Bone/Ivory-Sculpture
Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Wielgus, 1967
Object Number: 1978.412.550
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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