Hemba Lot n° 95

D.R. Congo Wood 52 cm Provenance: Hendrik Elias, Wieze By descent Kevin Conru, Brussels Private collection, Belgium Lusingiti or ancestral sculptures such as this old and beautifully patinated effigy reflect the importance of ancestral worship amongst the Hemba. The starkly geometrically rendered torso with square shoulders is of a delicate elegance that is also to be found in the rendering of the refined, solemn face. Known for their elaborate and highly personalized hairstyles, the Hemba would take great care of the rendering of the hairdo when making these posthumous commemorative lusingiti. This was a.o. a distinctive element allowing to refer to a specific, individualized ancestor. In this case, a set of four hair braids running from the front to the back is crossed on top by a second similar set, in a manner typical for the septentrional region, described in François Neyt as group 7 (Neyt, F., La grande statuaire Hemba du Zaïre, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1977).