Kota Obamba, Gabon
Wood, copper, iron, brass
Second half of 19th century
62 cm
Provenance
Private Collection, USA
Exhibitions
Parcours de Mondes, Parigi, 2024
AMART – l’Antiquariato è a Milano, Museo della Permanente, Milano, 2024
This impressive Kota guardian figure stands out from the corpus of the Obamba classical reliquaries for the accuracy of making and the harmony of forms and proportions.
In addition to great technical ability, as shown by the careful use of different metals of contrasting colours and the meticulous rigour of the embossed lines and dots all along the entire edges of the figure, the artist who created it consciously increased the aesthetic impact of this figure by enlarging the crescent and contouring for a good stretch the lateral extensions.
This rare stylistic choice gives the sculpture great elegance and exuberant expressiveness. It is the sum of these details which, combined with the large size of the figure, leads us to conclude that this Guardian Figure was in charge of watching over the relics of the ancestors of a powerful clan and that it was commissioned to a renowned artist.
The impeccable conditions of this figure should also be noted.
