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Sikasingo figure
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Pre-Bembe / Sikasingo statuette
Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
19th century
Carved wood
Height: 15.5 cm – 6 in.
Provenance
Ex collection Pierre Dartevelle, Belgium
Ex collection Alfred L. Sheinberg, purchased from the above in the 1970s
Inv. #6030
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Pre-Bembe statuary (also known as Sikasingo, Basikasingo or Boyo) is characterized by a highly stylized and cubist construction.
The dynamic kneeling figure presented here illustrates the classic style of ancestral Pre-Bembe figures. It includes a proportionally large, somewhat triangular/lozenge-shaped head with a rounded forehead, large, coffee-bean eyes, a long nose, a slender body with shoulders thrusting forward. The arms are distinguished by their angular breaks and sharp angles.
The deep oozing and dark patina attests to the age and ritual nature of this figure.
It was Daniel Biebuyck who, in 1981, identified and unified under the name "Pre-Bembe hunters" various historically heterogeneous entities of Sikasingo hunters established in the territory of the Bembe, in the region of eastern Kivu.
In 2001, Bernard de Grunne identified several Sikasingo artists in the "Master Hands" exhibition. He remarked on their highly architectural styles (de Grunne, 2001, p. 184).
According to Roy (1997:361), these figures immortalize local clan and village leaders. Such effigies and amulets were placed in small sanctuaries along with other statues according to precise and known genealogies.
Regarding the provenance:
This figure was acquired from legendary Brussels dealer Pierre Dartevelle in the 1970s by Alfred L. Scheinberg (1949-1992).
After traveling widely in Africa, studying beadwork and sculpture, ‘Alfie’ Scheinberg started collecting and dealing in African art in the 1970s. He opened his gallery in 1978 in New York, and became a major player in the US African art scene until his death in 1992 at the age of 43. His clients included prominent private collectors and museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama. He was an adviser to the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University.
The dynamic kneeling figure presented here illustrates the classic style of ancestral Pre-Bembe figures. It includes a proportionally large, somewhat triangular/lozenge-shaped head with a rounded forehead, large, coffee-bean eyes, a long nose, a slender body with shoulders thrusting forward. The arms are distinguished by their angular breaks and sharp angles.
The deep oozing and dark patina attests to the age and ritual nature of this figure.
It was Daniel Biebuyck who, in 1981, identified and unified under the name "Pre-Bembe hunters" various historically heterogeneous entities of Sikasingo hunters established in the territory of the Bembe, in the region of eastern Kivu.
In 2001, Bernard de Grunne identified several Sikasingo artists in the "Master Hands" exhibition. He remarked on their highly architectural styles (de Grunne, 2001, p. 184).
According to Roy (1997:361), these figures immortalize local clan and village leaders. Such effigies and amulets were placed in small sanctuaries along with other statues according to precise and known genealogies.
Regarding the provenance:
This figure was acquired from legendary Brussels dealer Pierre Dartevelle in the 1970s by Alfred L. Scheinberg (1949-1992).
After traveling widely in Africa, studying beadwork and sculpture, ‘Alfie’ Scheinberg started collecting and dealing in African art in the 1970s. He opened his gallery in 1978 in New York, and became a major player in the US African art scene until his death in 1992 at the age of 43. His clients included prominent private collectors and museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama. He was an adviser to the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University.
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