Hardwood "mwala" cane decorated at the top with... Lot 190

Hardwood "mwala" cane decorated at the top with a delicately carved ivory statuette with a honey patina, depicting a seated woman with her hands on her knees, her face with serene features and her hair plaited. Diamond-shaped scarifications dot her chest and back. The junction between the statuette and the carinated shaft is covered with brass wire that has been wound many times. Nice patina of use, small crack on the skull, fine crack on the shaft and missing at its base. Before 1947. A sign of dignity and political authority linked to the clan, among the most important for the Yombe chiefs, these scepters are often decorated with a female figure, underlining the fundamental place of women in the Yombe social organization and symbolism. Height. tot. 76 cm. Figure 9.5 cm. Yombe Congo Ex Puymartin collection, Bordeaux. Private collection, Bordeaux. A letter signed by Raoul Lehuard dated 1998 about this piece is attached.