This is an old ivory carving locally known as “kalimbangoma”, it originated from the Lega tribe an ethnic group found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lega tribe art is created for primarily their semisecret associations of men and women, such as the Bwami society of the Lega peoples.
Some Lega figurative sculptures use flatness to illustrate the feminine posture of moral and social goodness. Lega figures were individually owned by the highest-ranking society members, they are the most coveted of all initiation objects. Each member of a sublevel of the highest Bwami rank owned an ivory human kalimbangoma figure as a sign of status. The following statue has a light brown patina, shows signs of wear due to old age and natural abrasion.
- Material: Ivory
- Age: approximately 55-70 yrs
- Origin: the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Condition: Fairly Good with two slight cracks at the front
- SKU: CMI-079
- Weight: 0.1 kg
- Dimensions: 2 x 7.3 x 1 cm