Standing
Male and Female Figures
Democratic Republic of Congo; Tabwa wood, beads
The sculpture below is of an aristocratic couple
from the region of Democratic Republic of Congo who represent the ancestors of
a Tabwa ruler. The story of the ancestors is a group of selected Tabwa families
who flourished over the regional trade; they also tested the customary forms of
authority and expected to take power over the leadership. The rulers of Tabwa wanted the ancestries to
make them seem reasonable so they can lead, rule and start a new heredity
through sculptural images of the noble ancestors. A new type of figure sculpture was established
to portray the main ancestors. The art work showed visible representation of
lasting sovereign.
These sculptures were planned to strengthen the
authority within the society. The Metropolitan Museum of Art said, “Decoration
of the skin with raised geometric designs was one way of indicating exceptional
character: to transform one's body into an ordered, ornate, and visually
pleasurable object was to attain the highest ideals of enlightenment and
civilization.” The sculpture had
carving and features that were design on purpose to show where they stood at in
their nation. According to the website both
of them had facial marks that brought your attention to their head which meant they
were linked to being intelligent and had opinions on how to rule. On their
cheeks and temples you can see lines that signify the rulers had exceptional
wisdom and forethought. The forehead of
the sculpture has two long bands which meant they were talented people who had
a unique form of concept.
The Tabwa
figures in this century were mostly nude, apart from the beads that were placed
on their necks, wrists, ankles and waist.
The website said that Tabwa people usually wore limited pieces of
clothing, but did have beads which men and women both wore to show their affiliation.
The belts of beads were essential in
showing where they came from in terms of generations of leaders.
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