Lot Essay
Les figures masculines de ce type étaient utilisées lors de rituels d’initiations destinés aux jeunes hommes. Considérées comme l'incarnation d'un puissant esprit, elles étaient décorées de nombreux ornements. Une perruque était attachée à la tête conique, une barbe, des brassards et un pagne venaient compléter la décoration de la figurine pour rendre son aspect le plus réaliste possible et le rapprocher de celui des guerriers du clan. Débarrassées de leurs agréments, ces figures nous frappent encore par leur esthétique d'un autre monde et intemporelle. La statue de la collection Barbier-Mueller, bien que légèrement plus grande que la moyenne rencontrée, en est un exemple classique, impressionnante par la sobriété de ses volumes et la pureté de ses lignes.
Male figures of this type were used in initiation rituals of young men. Considered the proper embodiment of a powerful spirit they were decorated with numerous ornaments. A wig was attached to the conical head, a beard, armlets and a loin cloth would further add to the figure’s decoration making its aspect as realistic as possible and similar to that of the clan warriors. With their ornaments gone, such figures still strike us with their otherworldly and timeless aesthetics. The figure from the Barbier-Mueller collection, although slightly larger than the encountered average, is a classic example, impressive in its restrained volumes and pure lines.
Male figures of this type were used in initiation rituals of young men. Considered the proper embodiment of a powerful spirit they were decorated with numerous ornaments. A wig was attached to the conical head, a beard, armlets and a loin cloth would further add to the figure’s decoration making its aspect as realistic as possible and similar to that of the clan warriors. With their ornaments gone, such figures still strike us with their otherworldly and timeless aesthetics. The figure from the Barbier-Mueller collection, although slightly larger than the encountered average, is a classic example, impressive in its restrained volumes and pure lines.