Fang Four- Faced Head Reliquary Figure,African Carving Start Price USD 350.00 Current Price USD 350.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, September 21, 2008 End Time Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Location Denver, CO See more about 'Fang Four- Faced Head Reliquary Figure,African Carving' Description Fang Four-Faced Head Reliquary Figure, African Type of Object: Carving, StatueEthnic Group: FangCountry of Origin: Gabon Materials: Wood, pigmentApproximate Age: Mid 20th century Dimensions: Height is 18.5 inches. Width is 10 inches. Depth is 10 inches.Overall Condition: Used Damage, Repair: old chips, stains Additional Information: One trunk,four faces, and protuberance in the middle. Patina shows signs of long use. This four faced reliquary figure from the Fang people in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon is uncommon with its multiple heads. Reliquary figures known as bwete are attached to containers holding the bones of honored clan ancestors. Multiple faced masks are well know among the Fang but rarely seen in Mbwete figures.On this rare piece, the head with four faces is supported by a strong cylindrical neck and a base. During migrations which took place in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the Fang people moved to their present area becoming part of a complex overlay of population of approximately 200,000, presently reaching from southern Cameroon into Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Living in small forest communities the Fang focused upon tightly knit kinship and lineage systems and the veneration of ancestors through the use of figurative sculptures. Each lineage's ancestors were located in family shrines where memorials or reliquary boxes known as byeri, containing their bones were under the care of an elder known as the Esa. Containers made of either bark or woven basketry were surmounted by sculpted figures known as eyema-o-byeri that guarded the remains of Fang ancestors (Fernandez 1975: 723-46). When not in actual use the sculpted figures were generally hidden from view. This three-headed figure most probably was placed on a family altar where it was venerated. Fang memorial sculpture has a long history of use and was in fact photographed as early as 1907 (Tessmann 1913/1972, vol. II). However the cult of Byeri began to lose its prominence after 1910 due to colonial government pressure. Recommended Reading: Fernandez, J. 'La statuaire Fang-Gabon', African Arts, 8, No.1, 1974. Fernandez, J. W. and R. L. 'Fang Reliquary Art: Its Quantities and Qualities.' Cahiers d'etudes africaines, 15, No. 5. 1975 Perrois, L. Statuaire fang, Paris. 1972 Perrois, L. Sculpture traditionelle du Gabon, Paris. 1977 Tessmann, G. Die Pangwe, Berlin and New York. 1913(1972)I have examined this piece and agree with the description.Niangi Batulukisi, Ph.D.**W3044** All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2006 Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers! Please visit our About Us page. SquareTrade © AP6.0 PesaMember Place a Bid!