African Fang Reliquary Wood Figurative Statue Gabon

An expressively carved African wood female kneeling figure on staff with a display wood stand circa mid 20th century. The figural sculpture was an Ose Sango staff from Yoruba communi...

On offer is an African wooden and metal sculptural work called Boho na bwete from Northern part of Gabon made by Mahongwe people. Boho na bwete means Face of Ancestors in local language and the statue represents the deceased family members in an abstract way and was used as a reliquary figure fixed on top of the basket that contains the bundles of the ancestor's bones and remains, serving as a public shrine for worshipping. The style of the Kota figure...

On offer is an Ashanti female fertility figure from Ghana, West Africa, circa Mid-20th century. Carved from a single block of wood, the statue depicts a female with typical coiffure ...

Hand-carved wood ancestor figure with surface pictorial carving showing kangaroo hunting and decorated with black and red paint and white and yellow ocher pigment. The figure slightly leans forward as made. The piece was carved by aboriginal artist...

African Gabon 20th Century carved wood Ambete reliquary figure features an oval head with inlaid cowrie shell eyes, a fiber necklace, forward thrust shoulders with bent arms, rope be...

Tribal Art - African Art Fang Male Reliquary Figure (Bieri Style), Fang-Betsi Subgroup, Gabon, Circa 1950s Carved from dense hardwood, this 19-inch-tall figure with dark, very beautiful patina, stands in a composed stance, holding a small box-like object close to the chest—a gesture associated with protection or ritual offering. Height: 19 in. (48.3 cm) x Width: 5 in. (12.8 cm) x Depth: 5 in. (12.8 cm) without base. Height: 21 in 1/4 (54 cm) x Width: 5 in 7/8. (15 cm) x Depth: 5 in 1/2 (14 cm) with base. Provenance: Multiple successive collections, France. According to the previous owner, this sculpture was originally brought from Gabon to France during the colonial period and passed through several private collections thereafter. While we have no documentation to verify the original import date, we conservatively date the piece to the mid-20th century, corresponding to the period it remained in the collection of the prior owner. This powerful male figure exemplifies the classical aesthetic and spiritual principles of the Fang Bieri tradition, specifically aligned with the Betsi subgroup. Standing in a rigid frontal stance, the figure clutches a small object close to its chest, a gesture commonly associated with ritual offering, protection, or ancestral invocation. Carved from an exceptionally hard and heavy wood, the figure is marked by a rich, dark patina acquired through age and possible ritual handling. The anatomical emphasis—particularly the pronounced musculature, exaggerated genitalia, and the expressive weight of the limbs—evokes the Fang ideals of vitality, fertility, and ancestral potency. The oversized head, with its serene, meditative expression and stylized features, conveys a sense of introspective calm and spiritual authority. The schematic coiffure, carved in ridged vertical bands, further confirms its alignment with traditional depictions of respected male elders. The figure belongs to the Bieri tradition, an ancestral cult that functioned as the cornerstone of Fang spiritual and social identity for centuries. As the Fang people migrated southward through Equatorial Africa—from present-day Cameroon into northern Gabon—they carried bark containers (called nsek bieri) holding the skulls of revered ancestors. These containers were typically surmounted by carved guardian figures like this one, which both protected the sacred...

Gabonese late 20th c. reliquary figure of the Ambete people, hand carved and pigmented in red and white, the depicted figure has a broad sloping brow, a mouth agape and standing in a...

Hand-carved sculpture made of wood. Originates from Africa. Circa, 1950's.