Beschreibung:

Kota, northern region, Congo Brazzaville, region of Sibiti (*)
Hardwood covered with copper strips H 41 cm Figure of a reliquary. This 41cm-high model, with a concave / convex face, is made from copper foil engraved with decorated strips, made from a stamp work on the surface. The capsule-shaped eyes are fixed with copper nails. The mouth is shown in the act of smiling. All the metal plates have been fixed with copper nails and strips. The wooden base, in the shape of a diamond covered with holes in a cross-section, is covered with stamped copper strips in the upper half, a technique also used to cover the neck and the diamond shape at the bottom. On the back, there is a diamond shape emphasises, which is typical of many Kota works. The style of this model corresponds to the type of Kota reliquaries made by the group located in the northern Congo, in the region of Sibiti, an area south of the Kota tradition. We use the classification that French specialist Louis Perrois identified for these models, characterised by the following criteria: - oval face without a crest; - convex forehead, concave face; - saggital line, curbed brow ridge; - dominant decoration is plates / sheets (here decorated sheets); - curved side locks with wraparound comb decorated with duck tail; - semi-globular eyes with studded pupils; - realistic nose (here at a dihedral angle); - base of turbot wood (here in a square section);