RÉPUBLIQUE DÉMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO

Details

Serpent Lega en ivoire
Lega ivory snake
République Démocratique du Congo
Longueur: 21.5 cm. (8½ in.)

Provenance

Morris Pinto, New York
Sotheby's, Park Bernet, New York, 26 mai 1978, lot 291
Galerie Schoffel & Valluet, Paris
Importante collection privée

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

Further details

The offered Lega snake is a fine example as demonstrated by the scale and dynamic execution of the form. For a related example from the Jay Last Collection, see Biebuyck, Lega Culture, 1973, plate 94. Created for the bwami teaching society, for their pursuit of wisdom and moral excellence, such a figure represents a poisonous ngimbi snake, a symbol of death. 'The associated aphorism, "the children play in shallow waters; the snake kills" , which is a warning to who who would think lightly about the sacred things used in bwami'.

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Lot Essay

Ce serpent Lega se distingue par sa dimension et le dynamisme de sa forme. Pour un exemplaire similaire provenant de la collection Jay Last, voir Biebuyck, Lega Culture, 1973, pl. 94. Créé pour la société bwami, afin d'accompagner ses membres dans leur recherche de la sagesse et de l'excellence morale, cet objet représente un serpent venimeux ngimbi, symbole de la mort. "L'aphorisme associé, "les enfants jouent dans des eaux peu profondes; le serpent tue", est un avertissement à qui voudrait prendre à la légère les objets sacrés utilisés par la société bwami".

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