A Mbole sculpture

Estimated price  600 - 800 €

A Mbole sculpture, Zaire, Yela people, dark, brownish surface with a heart-shaped fascial plane with remnants of kaolin, incl. stand.

The Yela people live to the south of the Mbole. They also produce figures which are strongly influenced by the Mbole, but have rounder heads.  These figures are carved for the same purpose that the Mbole figures are carved. They are often times just grouped into the classification of "Mbole" because the Mbole are a more widely recognized culture among collectors.

I've been intrigued by Mbole figures ever since I first laid eyes on one in the book The Tribal Arts of Africa (shown directly below the photos of my figure).The figure in that book captivated me, and I have been looking for an Mbole ofika figure ever since. I've looked at many figures since then, and early on I purchased a figure I found interesting that I eventually sold, but I never found one that possessed the qualities that captivated me like that first figure until. I came across this one. The style of this figure is exceptional in my opinion, and I love the placement of the hands and the carving of the head. The only thing that I'm not crazy about is that this figure doesn't have the darkened surface that you normally see on these figures, but it does have the heart shaped white face and I think the figure is an excellent representation of these wonderful figures.

For one of the most comprehensive articles on the Mbole and Yela people, I recommend "African Arts", October 1976 Volume X Number 1"SCULPTURE FROM THE EASTERN ZAIRE FOREST REGIONS: LENGOLA, MITOKO, MBOLE, YELA AND PERE" by D. Biebuyck.

Price on request.

Height: 72 cm 
Weight: 1,7 kg