Statue

Ancestor figure (Singiti) from the Hemba people of the Congo. “Flat shoulders and a torso that, after the elegant horizontal undulation of the breasts, curves forward to prepare the swelling bulbous abdomen. [...] The large head, with its full and rounded forms, [...] reveals, from the rear, the cruciform structure of the monumental four-lobed coiffure [...]. The face, enclosed within the continuous relief formed by the diadem, ears, and beard, [...] is harmoniously connected to the curve of the beautifully shaved forehead” (quoted from E. Bassani [ed.], Arte dell'Africa Nera, Florence–Milan, Skira, 2000). The work is part of the Bassani Collection (inv. AFR 00072 2513A).

Photo: Paolo Vandrasch, Milano; Giuliano Spagnul, Milano; Vivi Papi, Varese.

Courtesy MUDEC.