Kuba Ndop sold. (R.D.C, Congo (Zaire)

Some Pieces I sold to African Art collectors, museums and dealers around the world. Visit our home page at Buy African Antiques for available items.

Portrait of the King with classical royal attributes, traditional shoody hair dress missing, two holes being present and a different patina on top proves it once was there, girdle with two rows of cauris, secret girdle with double knot, according to Joseph Cornet, this belt can never be untied, and represents the ability of the wearer to keep the secrets of the kingdom bracelets..., sited on a ntshuum anyim base decoration. It holds up  turtle n it's left hand. The cowrie-covered bands on the biceps are called mabiim, while the brass rings on the forearms are called ntshyaang . The ornaments over each shoulder are made of cane covered with cloth, and are called paang-angup, which means hippo teeth.

Scholars have speculated that the Ndop figures that were collected early in this century may have been replacements for earlier objects carved during the reigns of the kings depicted, accounting for the marked stylistic similarities between many of the figures. Although this piece is clearly by a different hand than the older and significantly larger objects like the one in the British and Brooklyn Museum, it conforms strictly to convention in faithfully reproducing royal regalia.

Provenance: Private collection, Colorado, USA

Notes about similar items:  

In 1982, a study was done on the Royal King figures in 'Art royal Kuba' by brother J. Cornet, as representative for the "Institut des Musées Nationaux du Zaïre", and made a chronology of the successive kings and represented symbols.  

You can see the British Museum, London Ndop Figure of King Shyaam aMbul a Ngoong, late 18th century at http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/goto?id=OBJ2587 

The early 18th century Ndop Portrait of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul in the Brooklyn Museum at  http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/2001/arts-of-africa/mishe-mishyaang 

You can see a bigger but similar statue statue that sold in France for 45.000 euros http://www.aaoarts.com/afrique/KUBA/index.html , that statues  in the line of Miko Mabiintsh ma-Mbull and Kot a-Mbweeky II and represented the king Miko mi-Kyeen that died in 1902, and was probably made by it's successor Kot a-Pey in 1908. 

It looks to me that my sample has quite similar stylistic elements to the one sold in Paris, and could have been made around 1910, as a gift (since it is smaller) with the authorization of the Royal House. I could not determine exactly witch king it is, so if you have more information's, please let me know.